Once a Wizard, Always a Shinobi
by KingofLoosePages
Summary: Naruto HP Harry falls through a portal into the middle of an Anbu meeting. From there it's Inuzuka, survival, and a contract with Remus Lupin? SLASH SHOUNEN AI
1. Chapter 1

**Raing::** M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, mentions of non-con, mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) Harry? (I dunno who it will be yet. Why don't you guys try and sway me? Vote on it baby!)

**Disclaimer::** I don't own anything you recognize.

**Note::** Ignore anything that says my author name is Chi. It isn't. A few years ago it was, but I didn't catch it on my FMA fic and right now I'm to lazy to fix the mistake. Enjoy the story.

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A head of black hair tossed and turned in the throws of a familiar nightmare. Small features scrunched then slackened as the body stilled. Several minutes later a frown returned and the motions of a bad night started up again. All of this was normal right? People often had night terrors, even more couldn't help but move in their sleep. Well as normal as this was the person performing the acts was anything but.

Harry Potter had always been different. The bigger boy had made that abundantly clear to him before his Uncle had dumped him off in the streets. If Harry cried he got hit, if the other boy cried he got fed. That didn't matter once he was on the streets however. A child of four, looking to be one, could barely walk let alone survive on their own.

Somehow he did the impossible again. For six months he stumbled along the dirty streets hiding from the big scary people and living off what he could glean from sympathetic women. He especially liked it when they gave him the soft cookies in the park. Those were so good and he always got so many! Of course the scary man would always look for him there so he hadn't been down that way in a while.

When it started to snow more people started showing up, all of them feeling the same as the scary man. He didn't like that they always found where he was hiding, didn't like the way they tried to hurt him with their sticks. The scary man found him several days after the first snow and Harry took off running. It was as a red light killed the cat he'd scared up that the boy tripped and fell through a rip in space.

Weapons were out, seals half done, as thirty or so Anbu jumped away from one spot. A child came tumbling through the ceiling in the middle of the group. Impossibly green eyes stared widely at all the hostile creatures around him. Animalistic masks stared back. He lifted his hand to fix his glasses and cried out in surprised pain as a needle was suddenly sticking it to the ground.

Morbid fascination took control for several seconds before an ear piercing wail erupted form the small body. The hand was jerked up and off the impaling needle to be cradled against a small chest. Immediately everyone tensed up even more. The man that had been standing at the front of the group was the only one not covered in a mask or cloak.

His yellow hair stood out glaringly, as did his concerned expression. He motioned for a man in a dog mask to come forward but Harry flinched away from him immediately. The small boy whimpered and scrambled as far back as he dared without touching anyone before he could move no further and he was caught. Of course he didn't struggle, he remembered what happened last time he'd struggled.

The toddler let himself be tucked into a warm cloak hidden from view. He closed his eyes in abject terror at the thought of what was going to happen now that he'd been caught. There had been times when he'd hidden from the big people with some of the smaller big kids. They'd delighted in telling him all about the horrors of orphanages. Would they put him into one of those?

They stood for several long minutes with muffled sounds reaching the scared toddler. Blood seeped from under his little fingers and a burning pain lanced up his arm but he was quiet. Crying had caused this man to catch him after all. A little squeak left him as they started to move and a short time later he was being exposed to dim lights and cool air.

"Here we go, alright there kid?" Of course the poor boy didn't understand what the man was saying at all.

A difference in languages made his small brow furrow "Wha'? Ah dun know tat." The man frowned and Harry realized the mask was gone. Two bright red triangles stood out in the dark lighting. They had the child's undivided attention, he even forgot about the pain in his hand for a while as he tried to puzzle out why this man had painted his face.

Fingers that should have been chubby came up to touch the red triangles and a surprised look crossed his face when it felt just like any other piece of skin. Inuzuka Momosuke smiled a little as the child seemingly forgot about his pain and demonstrated the curiosity that got his daughter into trouble all the time. The door opened with a quiet click and the hand jerked away as if burned. Blue eyes turned to look at the Yondaime. Arasai smiled at the wide green eyes peering at him through broken glasses.

The door closed just as quietly as it had opened "Who is he?"

Momo shrugged "He doesn't speak Japanese Hokage-sama. I asked him if he was alright and he spouted babble at me. I was wondering though, do you think I could adopt him? Pups can't survive on their own in the snow you know."

Arasai grinned "How did I know you'd ask that? I've already written up the document that says he's part of the Inuzuka clan. You just have to name him and hope your wife doesn't kill you for this."

Momo grinned widely "She's been complaining that she doesn't have any babies around what with Hana in the academy and Mika not letting anyone near her puppies." Harry, satisfied that he wasn't going to be hurt any time soon had snatched up a piece of the cloak and wrapped his hand up in it. Blood was staining the gHana material, but he didn't mind.

He was trying very hard not to make any noise despite how much it hurt. He didn't want to draw their attention to himself after all. Being a child made that very difficult though and he couldn't stop himself from yelping when the cloak was accidentally pulled on. Immediately both pairs of blue eyes were on him. Harry shrunk away from the attention.

Arasai frowned as he realized the hole was still untreated "Wait here and I'll go get something to bandage that up with." Momo nodded and wrapped his arms around the shaking child. Within half an hour Harry was renamed Inuzuka Shurachi, had his hand wrapped, and was settled in a large bed. He fell asleep and that is where our story started out. In his bed with him suffering from night terrors.

The little face was scrunched up as he ran frantically from the shadows trying to get him. Flashes of colorful light drew his attention sometimes, but he was to scared to want to go look at them more closely. Hands and feet twitching in his mad dream rush to escape drew the attention of the smallest puppy sleeping on his bed. There was about a fourth of the pack snuggled in around him to keep him warm in the cold winter.

Cautiously, so as not to wake any of the other dogs, the puppy edged toward the sleeping child. A quick inspection told him that nothing was hurt and no one was really cuddled up with the human. Deciding that it would be his job, the puppy climbed onto Harry's side and settled to sleep on his hip. He remained undisturbed all night as Harry's dream had instantly smoothed out.

Inuzuka Hana, now ten years old, watched her new little brother sleeping for several long minutes before walking into the room. She inhaled deeply then said in the loudest voice she could muster without yelling "Shurachi, time to wake up!!!" Harry, or rather Shurachi, shot up in bed like a rocket and stared around himself with wide eyes.

The puppy yelped as it was suddenly dislodged and Hana laughed at them before hopping onto the bed with him "Good morning sleepy brain! Tou-san said I got a new baby brother and you're it! I'm your Nee-chan!! Isn't it great?"

Wide green eyes watched the beaming girl until she quieted before Shura tried answering. He remembered how his new parents had greeted each other last night and hoped he was doing it right "Konichiwa…?"

Giggles issued forth from Hana "Iie, Ohayo! You were close though. Tou-san says you don't know how to speak very well so I'll help you kay?" Shura gazed at the girl curiously. He barely understood that he was wrong about the greetings he'd said and was completely lost when it came to anything else she'd said. He was painfully aware of how difficult it was for him to communicate as the day wore on.

For starters, they thought he was able to understand them even if he couldn't speak. That was quickly remedied when the man from the night before had told him not to try touching the puppies and he did anyway. His hand, which had already been injured, still throbbed in protest whenever he thought about how close that females mouth had come to removing it.

It was about a week later that he worked up the courage to speak with his new mother. He'd been eagerly sucking up any knowledge offered by his new family and thought he could at least get his point across. Padding into the kitchen, he looked around for the kind hearted woman. She was cleaning the dishes as he'd expected so he had to tug on her pants to get her attention.

When those warm brown eyes were on him, Shura wrapped his arms around himself and shivered exaggeratedly then said very firmly "Cold." When she didn't get it he repeated the actions a few more times. He was about to give up when her face suddenly brightened in a smile.

Tsume picked her new son up and carried him to the hall closet. "You're cold little pup? Then we'll get you a nice warm jacket and do that clothes shopping I've been putting off. Your father shouldn't mind to much when I tell him you asked for something to keep you warm." She tucked Shura into an overly large furred coat.

Happy he'd gotten what he wanted, Shura was content to let himself be carried around the village. They visited several clothes stores and a Food Market before returning home. Shura was intensely glad to change out of his over large clothing from Dudley into the new pants and shirt. The pants had been made to they were baggy in the leg, but fit at the waist and the shirt had fishnet sewn on the sleeves to make them longer and across the neckline so it seemed like he was wearing two shirts.

On top of that was his very own, brand spankin' new, fur lined jacket. It was blue with soft white fur and a very large pocket that was also lined with fur. His mother had said something about it being made by an Inuzuka, but he'd hardly understood and only cared that he could fit the puppy that had been following him around in it.

Days bled into weeks and weeks into months as he slowly became accustomed to not understanding them and then picking up things here and there. He was good enough to respond the same as any four year old by the time summer rolled around and Hana had lost interest in her new brother. The novelty had worn off after a few months and she realized he really couldn't understand her.

That didn't stop her from showing him off proudly however. It was the third week of summer break when Hana showed up at the house with a bunch of her friends. Shura ran to the door to greet her as he usually did, all of the family got this treatment, and froze upon seeing so many unfamiliar faces. A white haired boy with glasses caught his eye first. He seemed to be smart from what Shura could tell. Altogether that one made him uneasy.

Next was a boy with black hair spiked every which way, a high collared coat that covered his mouth and nose leaving the dark sunglasses for others to view. After that was a blond girl with a big smile and a smaller blond boy who looked incredibly shy. Finally his eyes were drawn to a boy that had a puppy in the front of his shirt and two red triangles.

Hurriedly looking around the hall he ducked behind a large plant. It was a useless effort as they'd all seen him, but it made him feel better. Hana smirked slightly as she watched her brother hide. The white king poodle puppy she had on her shoulder barked, setting off the lab in the other Inuzuka's shirt. Shura scrunched up further "Oh little brother mine. Come out, come out where ever you are. You know Tenri can find you and so can Yumi."

Knowing he'd been found out the small boy darted from behind his plant into the living room. A low table provided sufficient cover to make him feel safe and he eagerly crawled under it. Slow footsteps followed him until all the people were standing in the doorway. Chatter drifted to his straining ears "He's so cute Hana! I didn't know you had a brother." snort "I didn't know I had another cousin! Since when has your mom had a baby? And why doesn't he have the-"

"because he was adopted Akira."

Silence fell and Shura shivered. Something crawled onto the tip of his nose so he carefully reached forward to move it onto his finger. It wiggled around his hand for several seconds before flying off. Shura had to stifle a giggle at the delight in having seen such an unusual creature. It was like a beetle only nothing like any he'd ever seen.

Someone said something quietly and all but one pair of feet left. Those feet grew steadily closer until they became a knee, then a face. Red eyes peered at him from behind askew sunglasses "Are you going to come out little one?" The question was soothing on Shura's nerves for some reason. He slowly backed out from under the table without making any sort of contact with the boy.

Now on opposite sides of the table, Shura folded his hands in his lap and looked down. He knew he'd be turning five soon. He couldn't act scared of strangers all the time or his new family might get tired of him. Still, he flinched when a hand reached out to turn his eyes to the covered face. "Well then little one. Now that you have left your hiding place I suppose I should do something for you."

The hand moved a little away from his face and it's fingers splayed. As soon as Shura's eyes focused on it a swarm of the little bugs he'd found covered it entirely. Wide green eyes stared at the insects with both delight and fascination. Tentatively, he reached for the shifting mass. Immediately his hand had the little creatures crawling all over it as well.

Footsteps distracted him as dozes of little pricks made his hand twitch. He barely noticed the kikai disappearing once Hana had returned with her friends. Immediately the boy with the triangles hurried over to Shura to inspect him. After several seconds of the four year old squirming a large grin split his features. "Hey there cousin Shurachi, I'm Akira! This is Yumi." The puppy barked "So you're the reason Hana's been all annoying lately, huh?"

Hana puffed up indignantly "I am not annoying!" Akira laughed at her and danced away from the senbon thrown at him. Shura stared at the weapon with contempt written all over his little face. The expression shocked several people, it seemed so alien on his features. With two fingers he plucked the needle from its resting spot in the table and threw it out the open window.

Light flashed through his hand as he did this and Akira grabbed it. Both he and the Aburame next to him peered through the tiny hole in the middle of his palm at the table below. Shura waited until he could take it no longer then jerked his hand back. Everyone was silent for several long seconds before Shura heard the door open and raced out of the room to get away from the awkward stares.

Momo scooped the little boy up and carried him into the living room. Shura buried his face shyly in his new fathers neck making the girls in the room coo at him. "Oh, Akira! I see you've met your new cousin then?" The boy nodded and Momo turned his eyes on all the other children. "Konichiwa minna-san. What are you all doing over here? Did you come to meet little Shurachi?"

He bounced the boy slightly, making Shura clutch tighter at him. "He's cute, ne?" A few giggles sounded in the room and Shura squirmed in his fathers hold. Momo put the boy on the ground and went to ruffle his hair when Shurachi ducked away and aimed a stern look at the man. "No Otoosan." He carefully patted his hair down then cocked his head to the side in confusion when everyone started to laugh.

A little brown head pushed itself out of his partially unzipped jacket to see what all the noise was about. Doku, as Shura had named his little puppy, yawned widely then sniffed. He couldn't smell anything dangerous so he crawled back inside and curled up in his pocket to sleep. With a little huff of annoyance that no one was attempting to explain what was so funny, even if he wouldn't understand it, Shura left to find his mother and maybe help her in the kitchen.

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Review if you have any questions. Review if you want to tell me this sucks. Review if you think it will make me come out with more chapters faster. Did you catch the not-so-subliminal messaging? No? Then let me point it out to you. GO EAT THE WORLDS SUPPLY OF SYNTHETIC FIBER AND SUFFER UNDER THE ITCH OF WOOL!! Got it now? Good!


	2. Chapter 2

**Rating::** M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, mentions of non-con, mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) Harry? (I dunno who it will be yet. Why don't you guys try and sway me? Vote on it baby!)

**Disclaimer::** I own all of it, that's why this is the REAL manga/book. /sarcasm

**Note::** I hate this chapter. laugh It made me feel so retarded writing it. (no offense to handicap people) I made poor Harry sound so stupid, but he can't have perfect knowledge of the language yet damn it! I made him learn to fast as it is and forgot to put in a scene where his mom and sister are teaching him the language. I havea reviewer to thank for pointing that out to me. I plan on putting up the scenes and versions I didn't put in this story so you can all see it then.

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That night, as Shura lay in his bed trying to sleep, a tiny itch registered in his mind. It got worse until there was a small spike of pain and then a sudden numbing of the whole area. Curious, he pulled back his pajama sleeves to watch as one of the little bugs he'd seen that day slowly pushed its way out of his skin. One would expect some sort of frightened reaction, but Shura felt almost like he'd expected it to happen.

Frowning slightly as he watched the creature tend the area around the small hole, Shura tried to think of how it had gotten there. He remembered meeting the boy with the bugs, letting the things crawl on his hand, and then they'd vanished when his sister had arrived. Was that where they went?

Another one came out of an already existing hole and flew up to land on his nose. It crawled around for a little while before Shura felt a tentative touch on his mind. The small connection grew until faint feelings and stronger images reached him. His chakra system was revealed for him, though he didn't know what it was yet, and the general feeling of a question.

Blinking to rid himself of the headache caused by staring at the thing cross-eyed, Shura tried to show it where it could go. No holes could be made passed his elbow. He wasn't sure how he knew that was what the creature wanted, but it sent him the feeling of consent and flew back down to his wrist to crawl into the newly made hole.

Deciding to try to figure more out later, Shura let his sleeves fall back down and slipped into sleep. As he drifted in dream land the little Doku crawled to his side and sniffed cautiously at the bug holes. One came out to inspect him as well and they both ended the night with a mutual agreement. So long as neither harmed Shura, they could live in peace.

Not long after his discovery of the kikai, someone came to visit him. It wasn't the blond man that sometimes came to see how he was doing. Ara-san, as he'd taken to calling him cause he couldn't say Arasai, always had a present when he came to visit and liked to play with Doku. Sadly the man was away with Shura's father and wouldn't be back for a while.

No, the person that had come to visit was none other than the bug boy. Doku watched him intently from Shura's fur lined jacket as he was invited in by their mother and growled a little when the boy came close enough. Shura absently petted the puppy to calm him down and waited for the boy to tell him why he'd visited when Hana-nee-san wasn't home.

Shifting to a more comfortable position on the ground, the boy cleared his throat. "Hello Shurachi-kun. I see you're helping your mother out." Shura self-consciously looked down at the shirt he'd been sewing. It was a skill he'd learned when he lived on the street. If you couldn't mend your own clothes then you'd have to steal some and that was more likely to get you caught and sent to an orphanage.

Putting the shirt aside, Shura glanced back up at the boy. "Who you? Why did you come visit?" He wasn't perfect with his grasp of Japanese yet, but at least he could speak it now. The boy smiled gently even though Shura couldn't see it through the high collar of his jacket.

"My name is Aburame Koishi and I wanted to see how your kikai are getting along. They should have had time to establish a proper colony by now. Would it be okay if one of mine went to see?" He held up his hand and a kikai climbed onto his pointer finger. Shura chewed his lip as he slowly processed what the other wanted before tugging his coat sleeve up a little and nodding shyly.

The bug flew over and quickly entered one of the holes. Shura fidgeted at the unusual sensation of something moving inside of him until it hit the part that had been numbed to the small movements of the little bugs. The pair sat in silence until Koishi decided to break the ice. "How old are you Shurachi-kun?" Shura held up five fingers and then smiled a little at the shocked look on the Aburame's face.

Koishi couldn't believe this kid was five! He looked like he was three, maybe four year old! Inuzuka Shurachi was tiny for his age if he was indeed five. Maybe he should offer to help the other out with his kikai? Once you were older than three it was harder to synchronize with the little creatures. Koishi's thoughts were interrupted by his own kikai emerging and flying over to give its report.

He smiled as it explained in pictures and feelings that the kikai had taken well to the new hive and found no problems in setting up a link with him. They had a watch set up as their last orders from the old hive had dictated and kept out of sight whenever any non-hive creature was around. This didn't include the small furry one that lived in the hive's protective covering half the time.

A clock chimed somewhere in the house and Shura perked up. He squirmed a little in his seat, not wanting to be rude and leave his guest. Koishi cracked a small smile behind his jacket at the cuteness of the boy before him. "I would like to help you take care of them, if you don't mind Shurachi-kun?" Koishi motioned toward the little beetle crawling on Shura's sleeve.

Suspicious frown in place, Shura covered the bug. Koishi grinned wider and snatched the hand up. "Come on Shurachi-kun, I want to show you something." With that, he pulled the smaller boy to his feet. Dragging him passed Inuzuka Momosuke, who'd gotten home with the chime, Koishi didn't leave room for argument and just called that they'd be back before dark.

Into the woods that surrounded Konoha they went without any pause in the fast pace. Shura stumbled more than he actually ran and was a little bruised when they finally slowed into a clearing. The black haired boy jerked his hand out of the Aburame's hold before he could be dragged off again. Anger, and a bit of fear, blazing in his eyes, Shura drew himself to his full, but very small, height.

"Why you do that!!?! It hurt Shura! Aburame-san is a idiot!! Shura want go home!" Koishi shook his head and sat down on a log.

He scratched at the back of his neck uneasily "You having kikai isn't exactly allowed Shurachi-kun. If we talked about it at your house then it would be found out right away. This way you won't get in trouble with my clan and I won't get in trouble with yours."

Shura crossed his arms and stared intently at the Aburame before him. "You promise that I'll stay safe with you? Kabuto-san won't show up out of nowhere or anything like that?" Koishi blinked in confusion, but nodded his agreement. Why would this kid be worried about Kabuto? Sure the kid was a little weirder than usual, but he wasn't dangerous!

The Inuzuka sat down and was glad they'd stopped for shoes. It would have hurt to rush through the forest like that without them. Koishi relaxed at the acceptance and launched into a speech about anything and everything he knew on kikai. By the time he was answering Shura's last question the sun was starting to go down.

As he'd promised, Koishi brought Shura home before the last Hanas of light had died away and promised to visit again after school the next day. When he showed up at the Inuzuka complex Shura was waiting for him with two bento lunches and a small bag of cookies. His mother had been so happy he was making a friend that she'd made them the extra treat.

Again they made their way into the forest until they got to the same clearing. Shura pulled his jacket off as it was hot out and Doku darted around the clearing with happy little barks. The two boys watched this for a while before getting down to business. Koishi explained the chakra system to Shura and offered to let him borrow his old first year academy books.

Not really knowing how to read all that well, Shura looked at him uneasily. Koishi, apparently understanding his plight, pulled a brush, ink, and paper out of his bag. "Let me help. I can teach you the alphabet and stuff so you can read the books, okay?"

Of course Shura agreed to this. He wanted to be able to read the things his mother wrote on her shopping list and the scrolls his father sometimes left for the family when he had to leave unexpectedly on a mission. Plus, what would happen when his new family got tired of him and abandoned him in this place where he'd only barely learned the language?

For the next few weeks his meetings with Koishi were spent learning to read until he was at a good enough standard for the Aburame to agree to letting him read the first year academy books. Shura eagerly sponged up everything those books had to offer and in only a year had read through the course material for the first three years of the academy.

Koishi wasn't the only one to notice his potential as a shinobi. Arashi had watched the two boys on several occasions and was considering letting Shura join the academy early. All he had to do was convince the stupid elders that the child really was no threat to Konoha. Maybe if he recorded one of the meetings between the two boys?

Of course if he did that then the elders would inform the Aburame's that one of their children was teaching an Inuzuka how to use kikai.

That was another thing that amazed him about the strange child, his use of kikai. No one outside the Aburame's had ever used the chakra eating bugs for a very good reason. The little beetles ate a persons chakra constantly and only Aburame were born with the instinct to control how much the bugs could get at. It was almost like a Bloodline Limit.

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Shurachi sat on one of the lower swings slowly rocking himself and talking quietly with Doku. Koishi was in school for another two hours so he'd decided to spend time with his beloved dog. Unfortunately someone else had decided they wanted to hang out in the park so none of the teachers at the academy would find them skipping.

Uchiha Daisuke was a bully if ever Shura had met one. They'd only ever interacted twice, both times unpleasant, but the small Inuzuka disliked this particular Uchiha more than he disliked Kabuto, which was saying a lot.

The red eyed boy caught sight of little Shura immediately and made his way over to the scowling child. "If it isn't Inuzuka Shurachi. What are you doing away from your baby-sitter puppy? Aren't you worried the big bad villagers are going to get you?" The older boy laughed and Shura's scowl deepened.

Instead of answering the Uchiha, Shurachi lifted Doku up so the puppy was eye level with himself. "I think we should head home. You might get fleas if we stay here to long." The dog barked and Shura smiled.

His smile fell when Daisuke snatched Doku out of his hands. "Why do you talk to this mutt anyway? It isn't like you're a real Inuzuka, you don't even understand what he's saying!" The little dog squirmed until he could sink is teeth into Daisuke's hand.

Shura watched with a little frown as his dog was dropped "Che. Stupid mutt, doesn't matter anyway. Your not a real Inuzuka so you'll never be able to work with your fur ball right. I don't have to worry about you even becoming a Chuunin." He scoffed at Shura as the Inuzuka picked Doku up.

Without even glancing at the Uchiha, Shura left the park. The entire walk home a small frown pulled at his usually cheerful features. Not an Inuzuka? Of course he was! His father had told him he was part of the family, he'd met some of his cousins, he was an Inuzuka! But why did he feel so sad now?

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This my most popular story so far. That is funny to me for some reason. Besides that, YOU MUST REVIEW!!! -naws on your face- Go read my HPKH (kingdom hearts) cross over. There are barely any and they get no love!! LOVE I SAY!!!

Review.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rating**:: M (to be safe)

**Warnings**:: Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, mentions of non-con, mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) Harry? (I dunno who it will be yet. Why don't you guys try and sway me? Vote on it baby!)

**Disclaimer**:: Ain't Koishi just the cutest darn thing? Yes? Maybe? Okay, so I'm stalling. I don't own HP or the wide world of Ninja know as Naruto. Get off my back!!

**Note**:: Well I'm opening a poll. Let me know who you want Harry to end up with alright? Results are at the bottom and yes, I have had vote(s) so you can look if you want. The only one you can't ask for is Kiba cause he's Harry's little brother in this fic and I don't wanna write incest on my baby, maybe in another story. Sorry this chap is so short.

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Shurachi waited patiently for his father to get home once he got back from playing with Koishi. His father would know if he was a real Inuzuka a lot better than some stupid Uchiha. The sound of the door slamming and dogs scrambling to the front of the house alerted him and Shura hurried from his room to the front hall. "Tou-san! Tou-san!"

Momo looked up from the dog he'd been petting and smiled widely at his son. "Shura-chan! What has you all excited?"

The child frowned slightly at the chan, but didn't protest as he was hoisted onto his fathers shoulders. "I'm an Inuzuka, ne Otousan? Just like Hana-nee-chan and Okaasan?" Shura fidgeted with his fathers hair as he waited for an answer.

For his part Momo was surprised. Why would his son think he wasn't part of the clan? It didn't make any sense to him as he'd taken special care to make sure Shura always felt like part of the family. "Of course you are, why do you ask?"

The tense little boy seemed to relax "A boy at the park said I wasn't a real Inuzuka because I didn't have the triangles and I couldn't really understand Doku even though I talk to him a lot." A frown creased the child's brow. "He wasn't a cousin though, so I don't know why I believed him!"

A mischievous light entered Momo's eyes as he heard this. "Someone said you weren't an Inuzuka because you didn't have the triangles and you couldn't understand Doku? Well, do you want to understand Doku?"

Shura's face lit up at the thought of understanding Doku "Could I really?" His voice was excited and he would have started bouncing if he wasn't on his fathers shoulders. He ducked his head as they entered the kitchen and Tsume looked over at them from the sink.

The dish she'd been scrubbing was put back in the water so she could turn toward them and place her hands on her hips. "Inuzuka Momosuke put your son down before he gets hurt! I have a mission in a few days and I can't have one of my babies in the hospital while I'm on it!"

Momo sighed, but lifted his son off of his shoulders and back onto the floor. "Tsume-chan, guess what our son asked me when I got home?" She gave her husband an annoyed look "Okay, Okay! He wants to have the family jutsu used on him!"

Instantly, her face lit up. Shura had no idea what was going on, but he giggled happily when his mother picked him up and spun them around. "I'll call your sister and we'll get everyone over here by tomorrow night!" Tsume said to Momosuke and bustled out of the room with Shura still held tightly in her arms.

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The next night found Shura coming home with a large smile. He'd been teasing Koishi all day with his 'secret' and the Aburame had ended training earlier than usual because he wanted to pout in peace. Entering his families grounds, Shura was surprised by what greeted him. There were dozens of people roaming the complex with the Inuzuka triangles on their faces and dogs at their sides.

He found Akira, his older cousin, and demanded to know what was going on. The larger boy grinned down at him "Well, your mom said you were going to be welcomed into the pack tonight Shura-chan, so everyone is here to welcome you! Aunt Tsume said to send you in once you home though, so get inside!"

Inside the house was even more packed with people. Shura could feel his unease for large crowds rearing its ugly head the further in he went until he was able to bust free and get into the kitchen. Immediately his mother and father ushered him into the small room that usually held whatever dog had puppies. "Now Shura, this is going to hurt a little."

Green eyes watched, wide behind slim frames, as both adults formed seals and mumbled something under their breath. A sharp prick in his cheek made him flinch, but he suddenly couldn't move any of his limbs. Panic was starting to set in as the pain got worse and Doku started to howl. It sounded like the small dogs voice had deepened and become surround sound by the time he'd shut his eyes.

The tickle of a kikai leaving him and its dimming awareness let him know that it had gone off somewhere. Probably to bring Koishi so Shura would have a chance at fighting off the two shinobi. Suddenly, the pain stopped and Shura opened his eyes to stare up at his grinning parents. "Take a look Shurachi!" His mother held up a small mirror and he gasped.

There, in livid red, were the Inuzuka triangles. He hesitantly brought up a hand to touch one and jumped at how cold his fingers felt against the irritated skin. "You are now an official Inuzuka son, welcome to the pack." His fathers face and voice were solemn for less than a minute before he broke into a grin as wide as his wife's. "As an added bonus, we got permission to enroll you into the academy a year early. You start on the first day of the new school year."

Happy tears filled his eyes and he hugged both his parents legs as tightly as he could. That was about all he could reach after all. The pair smiled proudly at each other over his head and his father shooed him to go play outside before dinner.

Once he was safely tucked away in the part of the forest that bordered the Inuzuka complex, Shura waited. He knew Koishi would come to find out why one of his kikai were panicking and he wasn't disappointed. The Aburame dropped from a tree almost five minutes after Shura had gotten outside and made his way over to the smiling boy.

Koishi settled next to him casually and Shura ducked his head in sudden embarrassment. "I'm sorry the kikai came and bothered you. I wasn't in any real danger, just a little pain." Koishi nodded his acceptance of the apology and continued to stare at Shura.

It was some five minutes later before the silence between them was broken. "So how'd you get the triangles?"

Shura flashed him a playful smile "Family jutsu, can't tell!" He giggled at Koishi's small sigh. At least he'd found out why Shura was so hyper earlier.

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Keep in mind that Harry will probably be the seme, or dominant, partner in the relationship.

ShikamaruHarry 0 KabutoHarry 0 GaaraHarry 0 ShinoHarry 1 KakashiHarry 0 IrukaHarry 0 NejiHarry 0 HakuHarry 0

ItachiHarry 0 (other)Harry 0


	4. Chapter 4

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) Harry? (I dunno who it will be yet. Why don't you guys try and sway me? Vote on it baby!)

**Diclaimer::** I don't own anything you recognize. At least, nothing that you think you recognize. Bawhahahaha!

**Note::** So yeah, got a boot sector virus, tried to kills myself crying about it cause I lost a bunch of pages, but I had most of it saved on my desk top so yay! Down side? This laptop doesn't have spell check so someone please beta me!Relationship votes at the bottom. Nenagh, I almost counted every time you said Shino as a seperate vote. xD BlueB, you can change your vote, thanks for telling me what it was before so I could take one off of him.

**_Edit::_** Someone mentioned to me that I'd slipped and put Momoshiro in for Momosuke. I appologize for that and have fixed it. Also, Lyn was kind enough to let me know the names of Kiba's sister and mother. I went through and fixed that as well. I wasn't aware of their real names and I wasn't really motivated enough to look for them. Most skewing of cannon is intentional, you'll find out who the people were later Fluffy, and if you want a timeline then go to my profile and click on the link.

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Shura woke with a groan, not wanting to pull himself from the fuzziness of a good dream. Doku was still barking and licking his face though, so he rolled off of his bed and made the short journey to the bathroom down the hall. With that taken care of, Shura rummaged around in his closet for something to wear.

It had snowed for the first time that winter about a week ago and hadn't melted yet, so outside was cold. Thick pants, three shirts, a pair of shinobi boots, and his blue, fur lined jacket were pulled on so Doku could be slipped into the large pocket.

He'd studied the Inuzuka jutsu down to its last hand sign to figure out what, exactly, had been done to him. According to his research it had only connected his chakra with Doku's in such a way that he would be able to understand any dog and sync up with them a little easier than he would another person.

It had been nearly six months since he'd had the jutsu performed so he was rather used to understanding the dogs around him now. Like his kikai, the dogs didn't exactly use speech to communicate things. It was more like a transfer of scents and general ideas.

Hurrying down the stairs, Shura paused only long enough to grab the bag of food his mother had prepared, and thank her with a tight hug, before he went to wait in the front hall. Today was a special day. Koishi had been slowly teaching Shura what little Taijutsu he knew and had finally exhausted his supply of knowledge in the subject.

Shura was instead going to start learning about Genjutsu as it was much less dangerous if done wrong than Ninjutsu. The young Inuzuka was also going to show his best friend and teacher a new trick he and Doku had learned. It was really a family jutsu, but he preferred to call them tricks.

Saying that Shura was anticipating Koishi's arrival with barely contained energy was an understatement. His nervous energy was not at all helped when the other arrived ten minutes late looking like he'd run the entire way. "Koishi!! You're late!" The chastisement made the Aburame duck his head in either shame or apology, or maybe both.

"I'm sorry Shura-chan, I was on my way over when I remembered that my mother made us some cookies. Today is my birthday and she thought it would be nice if we had a sweet while we played." Shura frowned. Today was Koishi's birthday? How come he hadn't said anything before now! Did he not want Shura to know about his birthday?

Koishi noticed the sudden drop in mood and frowned behind the collar of his jacket. His friend was very complicated when it came to some things, like family and trust, but usually he was a bundle of cheer and energy. Why was he suddenly so down? "Come on Shura, I have to be home before dark today so my grandfather can talk to me."

Complying slowly, Shura zipped up his jacket enough that Doku could poke his head out of it then grabbed up his small pack and even smaller dog. The canine was slid into his coat and they left. The entire walk to the small clearing they usually used was made in silence that was almost always filled with excited chatter about how Shura's day had gone.

Half way through Shura's third time trying to make himself look like Koishi the Aburame called a halt. He was frowning so deeply that it was obvious, even behind all of the things that obstructed his face. "Alright Shura-chan, this has gone on long enough. What's wrong? You were all excited when I showed up then you just kind of…I dunno…faded."

Trying to avoid looking his best friend in eye, Shura shook his head "I'm fine Koishi-kun; promise! See?" He attempted a smile that came as more of a grimace. Koishi sighed, maybe he should work on teaching his friend how to lie better instead of how to look like someone else.

A cookie was produced from the bag he'd been late to get "If you tell me why you're sad I'll give you a cookie." Shura's bottom lip poked out. He'd forgotten all about the cookies, but now he wanted one. What if Koishi laughed at him though? It wasn't like the older boy hadn't done it before when he thought Shura was being stupid.

Deciding that he couldn't feel any more hurt than he already did, Shura went for the cookie option "You hate me." The simple answer was so unexpected that Koishi actually dropped the cookie. It was only Shura's quick reflexes that let him catch it before it hit the snow.

The confection was hurriedly stuffed into his mouth before Koishi could decide that this game wasn't fun anymore and take it away. The thing was harder than the soft cookies he'd gotten in the park, but infinitely more delicious. Koishi seemed to recover at this "You think I hate you? Why?! What reason could I have for hating you? What would make you think that?"

Shura looked down at the snow slowly covering his shoes "You didn't even tell me it was your birthday until you needed an excuse for being late. You didn't want to spar with me when we arrived, you only hang around because I have kikai and you don't want anyone to know it was you who gave them to me." Shura's eyes were starting to water.

"I'm a horrible child that no one can stand to look at. I'm a [freak just like the big man said." A tear slipped down his cheek and without meaning to Shura slipped into English "[I should have just let that man get me. Maybe that cat he got would have been me then you wouldn't have had to put up with me!"

Tears burned tiny holes in the snow as Shura dropped to his knees then fell back to sit in the cold. Koishi watched his friend break down with something akin to fear. Shura had never seemed so very fragile before. Moving towards him uncertainly, the Aburame reached out a hand to touch his shoulder "Shurachi?"

Immediately the five year old launch himself into Koishi's chest. "I'm s-sorry! I ju-just -hiccup- Y-you h-ha-hate me!!" Falling back so both of them were in the snow, Koishi awkwardly wrapped his arms around his small friend.

He patted the younger boys back and shushed him while his red eyes took in the slowly shifting world around them. Those same eyes widened when the snow closest to them suddenly whirled up into a tornado. It whipped around their forms, seemingly unnoticed by the boy in his arms. The harder he cried the more violent the wind became until Koishi was clinging to Shura for his health, if not his life.

Doku was barking outside of the windy shield and if this got any worse then someone would come to investigate. He didn't want to have to find a new clearing for them to train in! "Shura-chan! SHURACHI!! STOP, PLEASE! I don't hate you, I promise. You have to calm down Shura-chan. Please calm down! If anyone comes looking we'll have to find a new clearing."

Green eyes opened slightly to peer around them. The world was blurry from his tears, but the cold wind made it obvious a tornado of snow was dancing around them. Seeing that was enough to shock him into silence. Almost immediately the wind stopped and the snow fell with a thump to the ground.

A sniffle drew Koishi's relieved gaze back to the child in his arms "Thank you Shura-chan." Shura grumbled that he wasn't a girl. It made Koishi smile in relief, Shura was back now. "How about we head home? The sun is starting to go down and I'm going to be late getting home." Doku jumped on Shura's shoulder and licked at his cheek before barking his apparent agreement to this plan.

Shura nodded, but made no move to get up for a few more seconds. When the clearing had quieted entirely he finally crawled off of Koishi's lap " I think I'll stay here for a little while Koishi-kun. Tell your mom I said thank you for the cookies, they were yummy." The Aburame didn't want to leave his friend like this, but he was already much later than he should have been. If his father didn't kill him, then his grandfather soon would.

One last glance to make sure the other wasn't crying again and Koishi was gone. Shura watched the spot he had been for several long minutes before Doku's whining spurred him to action. "You're right Doku, I need to get him a present. After crying all over the place like a girl and ruining his birthday it would only be fair." Shura hurried home, climbed the tree outside his window, and snuck into his room. He didn't want to alert his parents that he was home or they'd make him stay.

A little digging under his dresser produced a stuffed dog. For as long as he could remember since coming here, his parents had given him a weekly allowance. He rarely needed it as they always bought things for him and Koishi brought him sweets often enough that he didn't need to buy any himself. As a result, he had several of these small animals stuffed with cash.

Thinking for a second he moved to the corner of his room that had all of his toys in it. A little more digging produced a slightly larger stuffed pig. Tucking these into his pockets, the Inuzuka went out the window again. Perhaps he would have noticed the shadow that followed him from the house if he hadn't been so distracted trying to think of something to get Koishi.

In the end he decided on a new pair of sunglasses. Koishi had been complaining, in his most amiable voice, that his current ones weren't dark enough to shield his sensitive eyes from the glare of the snow. Along with those was a new shirt to replace the one he'd cried on and a box of the candies his best friend was fond of, not that he'd admit it.

The shadow followed him all night, watching him sneak into the Aburame compound. This was a rather puzzling accomplishment since insects guarded the place. It watched as he slipped into an open window on the first floor of one of the smaller buildings then hurry back home without the things he'd bought. After the shadow watched Shura slip under his covers it went in through another open window. Slipping under his own covers, Momosuke smiled. His son was going to be a fine ninja when he grew up.

Sunlight filtered in through the partially open window and curtains. It crawled across the plush carpeting, over the blanket covered futon, and right into Koishi's eyes. The Aburame clenched his eyes as tightly as he could, but it was to late. He'd already woken up with no chance of falling back to sleep. Instead of trying to do the impossible, Koishi sat up and looked around.

His eyes swept the room twice before he noticed the small pile of things. Crawling to them, he didn't want to walk, Koishi tried on the glasses. His mouth pulled into a relieved smile as the room fell dark. It wasn't so much that he was blind nor was it so light his eyes hurt. Next was the shirt. It was one he'd been thinking of buying a little while ago.

The soft red fabric matched his eyes and his mother had always said it looked good on him. Finally, he pulled the candies to himself. A wide grin splitting his face this time "Heh. Thanks Shura-chan." No one else knew that he loved the small pink chocolates that most girls were delighted by. They were shaped like hearts and other cutesy things that would make all the guys at school laugh at him.

The training that day was considerably more lively. Koishi was decked in all of the presents that Shura had gotten him and Shura was near beaming with pride whenever he caught sight of this. Doku thought that whole thing was boring and went off to see if he could find that bird he'd played with yesterday.

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Melodramatic much? -laughs- You know what I realized? I forgot to include HP characters in my pairings thing. They'll have to play catch up now! As for ages, go to my profile and I have a thing up with everyone's ages compared to Shura's. At least, as many chara's as I can remember. Birthdays probably aren't cannon so don't sue me.

kakashi- 5

neji- 4

gaara- 6

iruka- 4

naru- 1

itachi- 12

kabuto- 3

shino- 9

Haku- 10

shikamaru- 4

one of the tails- 1

female- 1

other- 1

OC- 1

HP Chara's

Charlie, Bill, Fred, George, Percy, Cedric, Severus, Remus, Sirius, other, OC

Review and vote!

Taku


	5. Chapter 5

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) Harry? (I dunno who it will be yet. Why don't you guys try and sway me? Vote on it baby!)

**Diclaimer::** Does it look like I'm rich with a world wide fan base? No? Then doesn't that say something?

**Note::** LAST CHANCE TO VOTE GUYS!! Results at the bottom, have lots of fun!! By the by, the age thing is intentional. I know it isn't cannon, but I have to have some semblance of credibility! Here's the answer to if he was checked out while in Konoha, here's a bit of Kakashi, and here's a highly unlikely to find out about both of those things! Don't hate me because my plot bunny wasn't putting out for this chapter.

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The snow melted into spring, and spring bloomed into summer bringing with it Shura's sixth birthday and the start of Konoha's Shinobi Academy. Starting at six meant he would be a year younger than everyone else, but Shura didn't mind that as he was really only focusing on the fact that he would be able to study with Koishi properly now.

An energy that was almost impossible to suppress had possessed him for the last few weeks. Koishi had been careful to keep him from using to much chakra in his excitement, but the only thing that could put a damper on it was the prospect of having to go shopping with his sister and aunt.

He enjoyed getting new things, just as any other child did, but those two were very scary when given free reign over things like clothing. Fortunately for Shura, but not Koishi, the green eyed Inuzuka had managed to convince Koishi come on this trip with him.

It was tradition for an Inuzuka to get a new wardrobe the day before they started at the academy. That was why both boys found themselves lugging around numerous bags, more for Koishi, while the girls only carried three or four. They'd said this would be the last store though, so he was hopeful there wouldn't be to many more bags.

Everything they were carrying was dumped next to a bench and the two girls took off to find more clothing for Shura. Koishi let out a little sigh, drawing tired green eyes to himself. "I'm sorry about this Koishi. I didn't think we'd be going to so many shops or I wouldn't have asked you to come."

Red eyes shifted a little to peek at Shura through dark sunglasses. "It's fine Shura, you didn't twist my arm and blackmail me so You aren't to blame for my being tired." No, but he'd pulled out the puppy eyes, quivering lip, big tears, and pitiful sniffle. That was as good as blackmailing him.

Shura didn't get a chance to answer as clothing was suddenly thrust into arms and he was ushered into a changing room. "Don't come out until you've tried on every last piece of clothing little nephew!" The threat was barely hidden.

Grumbling about bossy aunts and annoying sisters, Shura set to work sorting out the things he didn't even want to try on. It would be a waste of time if he put on the bright purple leotard they'd found after all. He didn't want to be like that freaky Gai boy who ran around the training grounds some times.

Someone cleared their throat and Shura whirled around, hands already forming the seals for Kamikizu Doku o Ireru (poisoning by dog bite). The sight that met him didn't relax him much, though it did make him stop forming seals before he could make the last one. "Inuzuka Shurachi-san, correct?"

A nod and Doku's quiet growl were the person's answer. "I'm Hatake Kakashi, Hokage-sensei has instructed me to watch you and determine if you are a threat to Konoha. Since you are being allowed to attend the academy you should already know that you have been accepted. It's just common courtesy in this village to let a new member know who was watching them, and that they were being watched. Congratulations on starting the academy early."

Green eyes remained wide, even after Kakashi had vanished in a puff of smoke. That was a little disconcerting, finding out that he'd been followed for so long without noticing. Doku's small whimper drew him out of his stupor and the Inuzuka stroked his puppy to calm him down. He had to finish sorting through the clothes, then try them on.

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Shura's first day at the Academy started out okay, if a little boring. He was told what was expected of them, told what the curriculum would be, then let out for lunch. He spent lunch with Koishi, Akira, and Hana since he didn't really know many children his own age and enjoyed the fact that Kabuto was absent for his first day. That kid creeped him out big time.

The interesting stuff started when they actually began a lesson after lunch. They were supposed to explain, in three or more sentences, what we thought the chakra system was. He drew a diagram, wrote out three paragraphs, and even gave his theories on how chakra reserves could slowly be expanded to accommodate larger amounts.

To say the teacher was flabbergasted would have been an understatement.

The next day wasn't much different, save for the lesson in the morning and the reappearance of Kabuto. Shura once again explained, in detail, why hand seals needed to be memorized before any chakra was added to a jutsu. Again the teacher was shocked stupid. She'd heard that Inuzuka Shurachi was a genius for his young age, but She'd never thought he was this smart!

Three months into the school year it became obvious to her that Shurachi was not learning anything. He didn't pay attention in class, spent most of his time folding papers into little fans actually, and still managed to write genin level explanations for everything. This was when she decided to contact the principal.

Shurachi ran out of his house, giggling madly, and tried to beat Tenri to the mailbox at the front of their property. He didn't make it, but he was the one with thumbs so he got the mail out. The two letters addressed to Hana-neechan were handed over to Tenri, who rushed off to deliver them to her human.

Several bills, a letter from Koishi even though they saw each other everyday, and a letter from the Academy to his parents. Shura tucked the letter from Koishi into his pocket with a sleeping Doku and brought the rest to his mother.

She smiled down at him "Did you want to help me out some Shurachi?" Little Shura nodded and Tsume pulled the mini apron she'd bought for him out of the cupboard it was stashed in and handed it over.

Small fingers tied the strings and checked the pockets before Shura dragged a stool over and looked expectantly at his mother. Tsume laughed lightly at the eager expression "Just cut this squash into even slices and then start making the salad Shura-chan. I'm going to see what we got in the mail then I'll check the noodles."

A knife was picked up and he started carefully cutting the yellow squash in front of him. Tsume, meanwhile, opened the letter from the school and scanned the contents, then went back and read through them carefully.

Dear Inuzuka-san,

It has come to the attention of Kakurei-sensei that your son, Inuzuka Shurachi, already has the material for the first year of schooling down as well as any genin. It is my opinion that Shurachi should skip ahead one grade for the rest of the school year starting after Christmas break.

If this is acceptable to you, we request that Shurachi be brought into school on December 12 for proper testing and paperwork. By the end of the year we will test him again to see which grade he should be put in.

Sincerely,

Inuzuka Kaneko

Tsume glanced at her humming son. He really was a smart boy, but she hadn't thought he was so smart as to skip a grade when he'd already started school early! She would have to show her husband once he got home, they would decide this together.

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I see no love for the Harry Potter characters. Poor twins, I was hoping for some sort of kinky threesome. XD I suppose that will have to be a one-shot now! By the way, once the voting for this is over, I'm taking requests for any One-shot pairings you guys might want that didn't make it. And if it ends in a tie then we have a kinky threesome anyway!! D Last chance to vote, cause I don't think the HP chara's will make any sort of headway.

kakashi- 8

neji- 4

gaara- 11

iruka- 5

naru- 1

itachi- 16

kabuto- 3

shino- 15

Haku- 15

shikamaru- 5

one of the tails- 1

female- 1

other- 1

OC- 1

HP Chara's

Charlie, Bill, Fred, George, Percy, Cedric, Severus, Remus, Sirius, other, OC

Review and VOTE!!

Taku


	6. Chapter 6

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he somehow won!)

**Diclaimer::** Does it look like I'm rich with a world wide fan base? No? Then doesn't that say something?

**Note::** There was a suspicious series of votes for Kakashi that were all anonymous and pretty much worded the same. I am only counting two of those votes, just in case it wasn't one reviewer trying to make Kakashi win. Sorry, but I don't condone cheating. In other news, I fully expect you all to hate me after this chapter. Hell, I hate me, but it had to happen as I needed a reason for how drastically his personality changes in later chapters. Other things happen, but this is the start of it. Some happy at the end though!

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Shura had only been home from the academy for a few days to enjoy winter break when something awful happened. Koishi's kikai had alerted him to a struggle involving Shura and he'd raced over to his friends home without bothering to inform his parents.

When he'd climbed the tree outside of Shura's window and peered in he was shocked. Shura's room was in shambles, blood from both him and his attackers dripped from the wall, and kikai coated every surface that had been touched by chakra. That was where all of Koishi's kikai had gotten to then.

When he alerted Momosuke no one bothered to question that Koishi was the first person to know about the attack and be there. By now the whole village knew that messing with either of the boys would invoke the wrath of the other. It was quite a formidable threat as school yard bullies and drunken civilians would attest.

"And you're sure they had grass hitai-ate?" For what felt like the hundredth time, Koishi nodded. The Anbu trying to find a way to track the shinobi that had kidnapped the young Lord Inuzuka was starting to get on his nerves.

One of the kikai detached itself from a wall and flew to him. It landed on the shell of his ear and Koishi tuned out the Anbu, not noticing he'd gone silent. "Anbu-san, they haven't gotten far from the village. Shura injured one of them severely and they had to make camp inside our borders or risk the guy bleeding to death. Doku apparently killed one of them as well so a body should be stashed somewhere. They didn't have time to incinerate it before I showed up."

Two of the four on the Anbu squad that came to investigate jumped out the window. The Anbu he'd been talking to nodded and motioned for the other in the room to follow him before they went out the window as well. Koishi waited several minutes for the room to empty before gathering all of his kikai back into himself and following at enough distance that he wouldn't be noticed.

As far back as he could remember his father had taught him how to be a shinobi. He had been teaching Shura in the very same manner until he'd run out of things to show the boy. Both of them were at a level most Genins only reached when they'd been on constant missions for six months. All Aburame children were at regular genin level when they entered the academy so it wasn't much of a surprise to him.

Shura would most likely surpass him once he had free access to more advanced learning material. The boy was like a sponge when it came to learning new techniques and styles.

A kikai that was not his own caught Koishi's eye. He slowed enough that it could land on him then sped up again. A flicker of images and then the brief glowing of a chakra trail changed his direction to the north-east while the Anbu continued north.

He had to change his course several times during his run, but eventually the concentration of kikai became thicker. His pace slowed so he wouldn't alert anyone to his arrival.

In the trees below him were the enemy. Doku was muzzled against a tree, but he could only hear the faint sound of Shurachi's sobs. What were they doing to his friend to make him cry?

1111**WARNING OF RAPE, NOT GRAPHIC**1111111111111

Carefully moving around the camp in the trees, Koishi wished he hadn't changed position. A large man was pushing himself deeper and deeper into the six year old body. Blood and other things pooled on the ground under the child's hips, cuts marred his pale skin. From the amount of fluid and melted snow around him Koishi could tell this wasn't the first time.

Cold rage bubbled in his veins, forcing the kikai out of their hive and into the air. A kunai was in the Aburame's hand, then whistling toward its target at the same the insects swarmed. It hit directly between two vertebrae, leaving the man paralyzed from the waist down. Kikai covered his form before he could even try gathering chakra for a jutsu and Koishi dropped to the ground.

1111**END RAPE SCENE**111111111

Shurachi was still sobbing weakly when he reached the boy. The man that had been raping him was slumped on the ground, no longer inside of Shurachi. Kikai were crawling painfully under his skin eating all of his chakra in a display that was gruesome to even the hardest shinobi.

Koishi knelt down beside his friend "Shurachi? Shura-chan? Hey, it's me. You're safe now, promise. I won't let them hurt you again."

The shaking would not stop while the sobs were starting to quiet. Koishi tugged his jacket off then his shirt and put both of them on the small boy. "I'm going to go let Doku free okay?"

Before he could get very far Shura's hand grabbed his pants "Soldier pill…in…pocket. Give…to Doku."

Koishi knelt down "I will." He searched around them for a second before spotting the torn pants. He pulled out a little red pill and, after briefly touching Shura's forehead, moved toward the camp that the shinobi had set up.

"Oi, Reke, took you long enough. He's a tight ass ain't he? I told you didn't I?"

That rage was back ten fold "Hmmm, a tight ass." The three men stopped what they were doing to look over at him. Weapons were drawn "Oh, you weren't expecting me? Then I guess you weren't expecting this either!" Kikai swarmed from behind him like a cloud of death. His were joined by Shura's soon after, filling the small area and making it impossible for the Anbu to see what was going on when they arrived.

An Aburame showed up soon after the request for one was sent and added in his own kikai to determine what was going on. As soon as he had the swarm cleared up, Koishi was revealed standing with his arms crossed over his chest. "I leave this to you Aniki."

The shock of the Anbu squad and Aburame Hajime was palpable at the scene before them. What looked like a mummy was covered in the entrails of another man while the third was still being torn up by a large brown husky.

Hajime left the Anbu to deal with that while he followed his little brother through the bushes. This scene wasn't much better. Koishi was wrapped around a shivering Shurachi while the kid tried to tell him in halting words what had happened. Blood and semen was everywhere and another mummy like guy was slumped on the ground with a kunai in his back and kikai crawling over his dried flesh.

"Th-they were so big Koishi. An-and th-they w-wouldn't st-stop. Gods, it hurt so much. Do-Doku wa-was tied up a-and, Koishi!" He crushed his face against Koishi's chest and burst into tears yet again. Hajime decided that this was as good a time as any to make himself known. With Shura wearing his brothers clothing and the various fluids on the ground it was very obvious what had happened.

The purple haired jyônin cleared his throat "Otooto? Come on, we have to-" He cut himself off as wind started to whip around them. Shura was cowering against his brother now, rather than just crying on him. The wind was starting to whirl around the two boys in a protective barrier, carrying snow around in a cyclone affect. "Aniki, go! I'll bring him when he's calmer, just-LOOK OUT!" The kunai that had been lodged in the mummies back sliced Hajime's cheek then came around for another go.

Before it could make contact he'd jumped back through the bushes. Wind was stirring around the Anbu as well, but Doku wasn't attacking anyone now. He was sitting across the clearing cleaning himself instead. Hajime shook his head when the Anbu looked up at him "They'll come out in a second. Koishi is trying to calm his friend down," they went back to burning everything.

The wind died down and several minutes later Koishi came through the bushes with a sleeping Shura on his back. Hajime moved to take him "Don't Aniki, just…just don't." No one tried to take the Inuzuka from him after that. "I'll see you at the village Aniki, probably the hospital. DOKU, HOME!" The dog barked that he understood and they were gone.

Hajime watched where his little brother had been for a while before shaking his head. "You were wrong about him father; Koishi is probably the strongest Aburame alive right now to command an Inuzuka dog as if it were his own. Heh, Koishi-sama, ne?" He chuckled to himself, even as he performed the gruesome task of burning the evidence.

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Christmas break ended with Shura still jumping at the slightest touch. The dogs and Koishi were the only ones that could stay in contact with him for any length of time, thought Koishi's own time was limited to a few minutes.

The attack had gotten around the village in record time, along with exactly how brutal Koishi's response had been. A professional had determined that Koishi wasn't really in control of himself when he'd tracked them down and brutally exacted revenge, but he didn't believe that for a second. Koishi knew how angry he'd been, knew how much he'd wanted to make them suffer for what they'd done to Shurachi, so he had.

It took until summer break started, and he'd been moved up another class, for Shura to stop jumping away from anyone who got near him. That summer also marked an increase in his study habits from feverish to obsessed. Koishi was the only one who knew Shura had promised himself he wouldn't ever be weak enough to let something like that happen again.

Not everything was solemn that summer though. Shurachi had been to busy with the academy, and being a kid he didn't really notice these sorts of things, to question why his mother was slowly getting fatter. He only began to think about it when she and his father rushed off in the middle of the night amongst loud cursing a few days before his birthday.

On July 29th, Inuzuka Kiba was born. He was brought home on July 31st and Shura swore that his new baby brother was the best birthday present his parents had ever given him. He'd been so excited about having a baby brother that he'd grabbed hold of Koishi's wrist as soon as he'd arrived in their clearing and dragged him all the way back to the Inuzuka compound.

"Look Koishi-kun! I have a baby brother!" The enthusiasm wasn't nearly as bright as it had been before that winter, but the Aburame was pleased to hear it anyway. "Isn't he just the cutest thing? Isn't your brother having a baby too? Do you think they'll play with each other when they get older? I could always bring Kiba-chan over with me when I come to visit so long as Kaa-san doesn't mind!"

Red eyes sparkled with amusement behind dark glasses. "You sound almost as if he's your pup Shura-chan. Careful or your Kaa-san might get jealous."

Both boys whirled around at the deep voice and Shura scowled slightly "Tou-san! Kaa-san wouldn't get jealous, and Kiba-chan is my baby brother so…so…I'm sure she wouldn't mind!"

Koishi chuckled quietly at the barely concealed amusement behind Momosuke's chastised face. "Hai Shura-chan, I should have thought of that." And Momo was gone, off to start his latest mission.

There was silence for a while as the pair watched Kiba sleeping in his crib. Koishi was the first to break the stillness of the moment "I'm sure my brother won't mind you bringing Kiba over when you visited, once both of them are older. For now though, lets let Kiba-chan sleep and go get some ice cream. I did promise you a cone yesterday after all."

Shura smiled slightly, green eyes still focused on the small new born. "Alright Koishi, so long as you admit that you think Kiba-chan is the cutest baby you've ever seen." Those green eyes turned up on him wit a playful glint and Koishi grinned behind his collar.

Pretending to think about it, he scratched at the back of his head. "I suppose he is the cutest I've ever seen….so far. I reserve judgment until my own nephew is born." Shura squawked in protest and chased a laughing Koishi all the way to Minonoma Ice Cream.

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-cringes away from glares- Please don't hate me forever! Look, I brought Kiba into the story, LOOK!! -cries- WHAAAAAAAAA!! Shurachi-chan, I'm so soooorrryyy!!! On the bright side, Voting is now closed and I can get on with writing the story. Keep an eye out for the one-shots of various pairings that are AU to this story. Feel free to request some as well. So Haku won with 23, Shino in second with 21, and Itachi in third with 20. My poor kinky threesome will have to remain in the realm of AU one-shots. -sigh-

Finishing votes were as follows…

kakashi- 12

neji- 4

gaara- 14

iruka- 6

naru- 1

itachi- 20

kabuto- 3

shino- 21

Haku- 23

shikamaru- 5

one of the tails- 1

female- 2

other- 1

OC- 1

HP Chara's

Fred and George- 4

Review and let me know what one-shots you guys want to come first!! A one-shot with the pairing of your choice will be given to the 150th reviewer!!

Taku


	7. Chapter 7

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he somehow won!)

**Diclaimer::** Does it look like I'm rich with a world wide fan base? No? Then doesn't that say something?

**Note::** Here's Shino! I know some of you will be happy with this development! Also, I've had complaints that the story seems choppy and full of holes. This is because it's kind of like snapshot mode in that we only certain things through Shurachi's life until I can really get into the plot. Here is also where people will yell at me an be like "That didn't happen, she never died in the anime/manga RAWR!!" Save it, cause I don't care. More at the bottom.

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A few days after his birthday Shura was pulled out of his sleep, in the middle of the night, by a jacket and glasses-less Koishi. The Aburame was only in his pajamas in fact, something Shura had only seen a few times when he'd gone over to the Aburame compound very early in the morning.

He probably wouldn't have been so surprised, they'd had sleepovers before too, if it weren't for the fact that he'd gone to bed without the Aburame anywhere near his home. "Your awake Shura? Good. Shino, Hajime's son, just came home from the hospital and we're going to give him his first kikai in an hour."

The Aburame paused to catch his breath, he'd been panting from the start, then continued. "It's tradition for everyone with absolute control over their kikai to give two over to the new baby. I thought you might like to because you have as much control over yours as I do and I'll be giving him a pair of mine."

The seven year old blinked up at the sparkling red eyes before letting a small grin split his lips. "If you want me to give him some of my kikai then I will. Hajime did say that I'd probably be just as much his uncle as you would!" A small giggle left the younger boy and he brought a hand up to push Koishi off to the side.

Shura sat up and concentrated on what he wanted the kikai to do before sending them over to Koishi, who was still sprawled on the bed next to him. The Aburame eyed the two curiously before blinking at Shura. "You're going to give him a female and a guard?" Shura nodded and Koishi flashed him a bright smile again.

"Thanks Shura, this means a lot to me. Sorry for waking you up at-" he glanced at the clock and winced "-two in the morning. I'd better get back before they notice I'm gone." He slipped forward to hug Shura for the first time since that awful night, then disappeared out the window.

Shura stared after him, feeling the slight panic from the touch seep away from him. That was the first time he hadn't freaked out when Koishi even _attempted_ to hug him. The first time he'd not spazzed about the closeness of the other for the whole exchange. He felt quite giddy about his lack of reaction.

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That winter he was moved up another grade, now only one below Koishi and his sister. His mother told him in no uncertain terms that he would be staying in this one. Even if he showed that he would be better in a higher class she would not permit him to skip ahead.

He'd been confused as to why until Koishi had told him, a bit nervously to be honest, that the final year of the academy was under consideration for recruitment. No one would say why, but it had to be a very powerful enemy if academy students were being considered.

Shura dropped the argument, not really wanting his mother to worry over more than she already did since she was back on active shinobi duty. Baby Kiba usually spent the mornings with one of their aunts and then came home in the afternoon when Hana-neechan came home.

His only real complaint was that an idiot sat next to him in class. Umino Iruka had come late on the first day and so was forced into the only open seat, right next to Shura.

He didn't even think about what the reason for the academy recruitment could be. That is, he didn't think about it until one day in June when the whole classroom shook and the head teacher of A-block rushed into the room. His day didn't get any better when something heavy started to push in on his mind. It had happened a few times before and always seemed to make it impossible for him to concentrate on anything else. Right when it reached its peak a loud boom shook the school again.

Shura pressed his hands to his sensitive ears. Ever since he'd had the family jutsu performed on him his nose had become as good as any dogs, and his ears could hear the faint beat of a heart across the room if he concentrated.

The head teacher of Block-A talked with their usual teacher for several long seconds before he rushed off and Shinonome-sensei, the head teacher, turned to them. A sharp whistle quieted the panicked screaming of some of the more hysterical students.

"Anyone with experience in gen, nin, and taijutsu to the front, now!" Shura stood and was surprised when Iruka followed him to the front of the class. Seven students now stood in a group beside the teacher, who turned to look at them all "The village is under attack. The school is being evacuated and we need higher grade students that think they could lead a group of children to safety."

"I want you to tell me what you know and how far along you are compared to a genin. If you don't know then guess."

The first person to go was a girl with purple eyes and no pupil "Taijutsu and genjutsu about sixth month genin."

Three more people went then Iruka was looked at "Tai, gen, and ninjutsu First year Genin. Weapons second year genin." A small girl went then it was Shura's turn.

"Gen, nin, taijutsu second year genin. Weapons first year genin." The teacher seemed surprised at this. She eyed him for a second before nodding.

Glancing at the class to make sure they were sitting quietly she turned back to them. "Inuzuka, you're in command. Umino, you're his second. I want you to organize our class so each of you seven have the same amount of people then meet in the play ground. Find out if anyone else has any weapons experience of use."

She left to do gods knew what and Shura blinked at the six students looking at him expectantly. Doku poked his head out of his coat to watch "Er, I suppose we should get started huh? How many students are there in this class besides us?"

The small girl that had gone before him cleared her throat "Twenty-one not including us buchou. We could each take three and at least five of them are good enough with some form of weapon to be brought to Sensei's attention."

Shura blinked at the girl before smiling his thanks "Right," he turned to the class "three people to each one of us! We're to meet Sensei on the playground once squads are formed!"

People started to do as he'd said when one of the older boys in the back stood up "Why should we listen to you? You're just a kid compared to us, probably only got into this class because your uncle runs the academy!" People slowed in uncertainty at this.

It looked like Iruka was ready to come to his defense when Shura spoke up "If you want to fight me then do it quick. If I win everyone follows my orders, if you win then you can take my place." The boy smirked.

As he made his way to the front of the class the girl whispered quietly "That's Kei Izuma. He's big on genjutsu and using wire so look out for that. He also hates following orders from someone smaller than him." Shura nodded his thanks again and handed Doku off to Iruka.

The boy was standing in front of him with a smirk now "You're so small, I think I'll give you the first shot. Go ahead, give it your best."

Shura's eyes narrowed "How kind of you." Without warning he jumped high enough that he could have gone over the older boy before spinning in mid air and landing a hard kick to the side of Izuma's head. The Kei flew across the room and hit the wall; hard "You lose. Three to a person, someone carry him." Students hurried to obey him and he took Doku from Iruka.

They hurried onto the play ground and a kid ran up to Shura "Inuzuka-san?" He nodded "Shinonome-sensei said all A-block commanders are to report to you. She also said that the nearest safe point is Kyuujjo river Underground. She said you'd probably been there before?" Shura nodded again and then stopped walking as four more people came up to him.

All of them looked to be in the same class as he was, just in different blocks "So you're the captain for A-block huh? Well, do you know where we need to go?" Shura had to stop Iruka from stepping forward to insult the girl for her tone.

Instead Shura smiled sweetly at her "I do. If you'd like I could show you. Certainly someone so pretty as you hasn't been to the Undergrounds like all the boys have." The girl bristled and one of the guys that had come with her smirked.

Two second years came over to him now "Inuzuka-san, all the commanders of the A-block classes are over here waiting for you."

Shura nodded at them then turned to face Iruka "Umino-san, could take our class over there? I'll be over in a second. Try to organize it so that the lower grade squads are partnered with someone from our year if not an entire squad from our year." Iruka saluted with a lopsided grin then went to do that.

The boy that had smirked caught sight of the unconscious Izuma "He caused a problem for you too?" A finger was pointed at the large boy. "I'm Tetsunosuke Ichimura, Commander of B-block. This is my brother, Shuichi, he's commander of C-block."

Shura bowed slightly "I'm Inuzuka Shurachi, commander of A-block and yes, Kei-san did give me a little trouble, but we sorted it out right away so as not to delay to long." A red haired boy laughed loudly.

He pushed through the twins and grinned widely at him "I'm Abarai Renji, E-block commander. That jerk has gone through all of our classes and I must thank you for knocking him out. He would have caused a lot of trouble." The girl huffed "Oh, this is Yuhi Kurenai. She's D-block commander and just a tad upset that you're in our grade when you're so young."

Trying not to cause to much friction and get away so he could direct his block, Shura bowed politely again. "It's very nice to meet you all, but the village is under attack and we really need to-" The ground shook again and a crack started to split the playground. Shura cursed and jumped back hurriedly as the crack split right where he'd been standing.

Shuichi waved for him to get to his block as the others separated to direct their own groups. Iruka looked grateful when Shura showed up. "Inuzuka-sama, please tell me you know some earth style jutsu." Shura frowned, but nodded slowly. "Good because that last quake made parts of the school crumble and apparently someone from our block was still inside."

"We sent Hyuuga-san's squad in to retrieve them and they were in an area that collapsed." Shura's eyes widened.

He hurried toward the crumbled building "Why was someone in there? Wasn't everyone ordered to evacuate? Doku, find them!" The puppy barked and jumped from Shura's coat to begin sniffing at the pile of rubble. "No, get someone else to explain it to me. I need you to follow B-block to Kyuujjo Underground. If you know how to get there then lead everyone else, if not then have everyone follow B-block."

Doku barked and began to scratch at some of the bigger rocks. "Someone can explain later, just go!" Iruka hesitated for a second, but at the command ran to organize everyone and take them to safety. "Doton: Iwa Tobu no Jutsu!" (Earth Style: Flying Rock) He didn't notice the surprised Renji watching him, nor the smirking Ichimura as he forced the rocks to float in the air and then fly off to the side until he found the small compartment that had obviously been made with chakra right before they were crushed.

The Hyuuga girl from before had a seven year old in her arms while the rest of her team huddled around her. They brightened considerably when Shura peered in on them "Casualties?" He called and the Hyuuga shook her head. Shura helped them out "Come on, we have to go before something else happens." Doku barked and the sound echoed over the empty playground.

Charging their feet with chakra, the five ran while the small kid was held tightly in the Hyuuga's arms. They arrived at Kyuujjo right before the gate was shut and Shura sent out a discreet kikai to find his block. Once that was done he led them down into the tunnel and met up with a worried looking Iruka. "You made it!" Shura quirked a small grin, he doubted he could manage anything else.

A glance around found that no adults had shown up "We the only ones here? Any genin, chûnin?"

Iruka shook his head "This is a small safe point that's well hidden. It was reserved solely for academy students when it was made and from what I saw when we were getting here no one can be spared to make sure the enemy doesn't get to us."

"So who is the enemy?" Shura asked. Before Iruka could answer someone pushed him out of the way.

Iruka went to protest, but he was again interrupted "You can give him details as I fix this. You're bleeding buchou." Both Iruka and Shura looked down at Shura's leg in surprise. It had a long, but shallow looking cut in it.

The Inuzuka blinked "I must have gotten it when I was climbing those rocks. There was some broken glass and sharp stones, but I didn't think I'd been injured." The girl smiled slightly at him.

She didn't say anything for a while as she cut the bottom off his pants then bandaged the leg "It was probably the adrenaline, it dulls pain until you're safe. I'm Mitsuo by the way. I know you didn't get a chance to learn my name earlier. The enemy attacking Konoha is the Kyuubi no Kitsune. It will be busy with our shinobi so we don't need someone making sure enemy shinobi don't find us."

Iruka cut in before she could continue "Which means you and the other four are in charge. I looked around once we got here and there are supplies in the back. Our blocks are separated still, just waiting for further orders or trying to calm each other down. A lot of the younger kids are crying which upsets the older ones. Everyone is getting irritated and we have no idea what to do."

Someone cleared their throat and Shura turned around to see the other four captains behind him "Can we steal you for a bit? We need to figure out what to do from here."

Shura nodded and turned back to Iruka who chuckled "I got it, I'll go tell everyone to calm down and let them know that you got back safely."

Laughter bubbled out of Shura's throat as he realized Iruka already had him pegged "Thanks Iruka-kun. Mitsuo-san? Would you mind watching over Kei-san? I want to be warned when he wakes up." She nodded and they both left to do as he'd asked. Shura turned to the four and they led him a little ways away.

Once they were settled in a little alcove, two strong boys took up positions on either side of them like guards. Renji motioned to them "These are Ikkaku and Yumichika. They're my second and third in command for our block. They'll keep people from listening in while we decide what to do." Everyone made sounds of agreement.

"There are supplies in the back, enough for the whole school to survive a week down here. We shouldn't be down here that long, but just in case, we should be very sparing with how much everyone is given." This was agreed on. "All of us have problem kids as well. They might try to take control of the blocks so make sure they're watched by people you trust. I know that you're new, comparatively, to this grade Inuzuka-san so I'll have someone give you a list of people to watch later."

Shura thanked Shuichi then spoke up "The younger years are upset and some of them are crying. This is getting on the older years nerves and my second and third in command seem worried this could start fights. We need to find a way to calm everyone down." Kurenai frowned slightly, looking thoughtful.

After a few seconds of silence she brightened considerably "Gather up all the younger years, I know a few people who are good with kids. As for the older years, we're shinobi in training right? Organize Taijutsu matches that are to be watched over strictly by at least one of us at all times. That should help diffuse some of the tension and provide entertainment for everyone."

The details of this idea were hammered out over the next fifteen minutes as was who would be in charge of distributing supplies evenly. They were just designing a watch schedule in case missing nin decided this was a good time to attack the village when Mitsuo stumbled toward them. Ikkaku and Kira stopped her before she reached Shura, but he stood to go to her anyway.

Blood was dripping down half her face and her eye was closed to keep it from getting in. An arm was wrapped around her ribs while the other dangled at her side and she tried to smile for him, but only managed a grimace. "Mitsuo! What happened? Who did this?" She coughed and blood came out.

His alarm was growing with every second, if she had internal bleeding then they couldn't do anything about it. "Kei…his buddies helped…-cough- Iruka is trying to get him. -wheeze- It isn't internal, knocked out a tooth." She bared her teeth to him so he could see. One was indeed missing "S'ven, hurry." Kurenai took her from the two guards and laid her down on the floor.

Ichimura and Renji offered to go with him, he agreed, and Shuichi stayed behind to help Kurenai. As he was following Doku to the scent of Iruka he heard Kurenai ordering Ikkaku to get her second and third in command and tell them to bring medical supplies. Once they were a little further in it wasn't hard to locate the fight.

Kids had formed a ring around them and a peek through the crowd saw Iruka pinned by his neck to the wall while another kid was being held down by three of Izuma's flunkies. Izuma was apparently saying something, but Shura couldn't hear it over the crowd. With a growl remarkably like a real dog, Shura shoved his way through the people with Renji and Ichimura close behind.

"Is something wrong here Kei-san? I thought we had an agreement. You lose you follow my orders, I lose I give up my place. You lost." Iruka was dropped and he slumped to the ground while Izuma turned to scowl at Shura.

He advanced menacingly on the seven year old "You're outnumbered and alone Inuzuka, how will you command me when we can just beat you into the ground?"

Renji cleared his throat and the other two commanders stepped out from the crowd "He isn't alone Izuma-teme. Tetsunosuke-san and myself are on his side."

Izuma scoffed "Like you two are going to help much. It's still seven to three." Shura glanced at the boy they'd had pinned only to find him unconscious. "That Shiozu girl was easy to beat, Umino was easy to beat, you'll be no different. Inuzuka just got lucky earlier."

Anger bubbled in his blood as he listened to Izuma. Renji clucked his tongue and Ichimura just smirked. All three of them were ready to fight and those around them knew it. Izuma grinned viciously "You're going to lose." As if that was a cue, the six other guys attacked. Shura ducked a kick and rolled out of the way of a kunai.

Weapons? They really did want to cause damage didn't they? Pulling out his own kunai, Shura sidestepped the guy in front of him and charged Izuma. The Kei pulled out a shuriken and blocked the slash. Shura jumped back then shot forward again. Someone behind him cried out and he had just enough warning to duck before a body slammed into Izuma.

"Inuzuka, jump!" He pushed chakra into his feet and jumped "Shokubutsu: Tsukamaeru no jutsu!" (Plant style: Vine Capture) vines shot out of the ground and wrapped around Izuma and the lackey on top of him. Outraged cries alerted him to the fact that the other five had been captured as well. He dropped back to the ground and turned to look at the boys caught in various poses.

Renji had a cut on his cheek and Ichimura was leaning against the wall breathing heavily. The Tetsunosuke's hands were slowly separating, he being the one to do the jutsu. Shura went to take a step toward them and his leg gave out. A curse hissed passed his lips as he looked down at the injury. Blood was seeping through the bandages Mitsuo had put there earlier.

He waved off Renji's concern and stood back up "We need to go back to the others and decide where people who make trouble are going to go. We can't just let them go so they can try and attack us again."

Shura chewed his bottom lip in thought "You guys go back, I need to stay here. Hurry and find a place to be an infirmary. I'll need to put these two there to make sure they're okay." He quirked a small grin and motioned to Iruka and the other boy. "Also, tell Mitsuo-san that Kei is under control? She'll probably try to do something if you don't."

He thought for a second before turning to look at them again "Do you have anyone that can use earth style jutsu?" Renji nodded "Send them to me then and I'll teach them the earth capture jutsu to keep the troublemakers from getting out." He started directing people to move Iruka and the other boy before backing up.

When he had all seven offenders in sight he took a deep breath "Everyone clear the area! I don't want anyone getting hurt!" people backed away quickly and the two other commanders moved to stand behind him. Shura brought his hands up to form seals and on the last one brought his hand to his mouth "Doton: Tsukamaeru Doro Darake no Jutsu!" (Earth Syle: Muddy Capture)

Mud spewed from Shura's mouth, coating the ground and turning the hard earth just as soft. Izuma and his flunkies sank into it up to their necks then, after being forced into a spread eagle position underground, the mud hardened and they were trapped. There was silence before Renji burst into laughter "Oh, that's great! You gotta teach me that one whenever we get outta here."

He was still laughing when the crowd swallowed the other two captains up as they left. Shura looked at those around him "Anyone else want to question my leadership?" His voice rang out in the silence. No one stepped forward so he turned to the people with Iruka and the other boy. He knelt beside them and checked Iruka over for vital signs. He was breathing fine and looked to have only passed out from lack of oxygen to the brain.

Next was the other boy "Does anyone know who this is?"

The little girl that was beside him turned teary eyes to Shura "He's my nii-san, Genma. He'll be okay, right?"

Shura pressed his lips together tightly and checked him over as well. There was a small cut on his arm, but other than that he was okay. With this in mind he smiled at the girl "He'll be just fine. All we have to do is wait for him to wake up."

As if that was a cue Genma groaned. He peaked open a black eye then immediately closed it. Shura moved away so the siblings could interact without him listening in and went to Iruka. A few soft pats to the face made one brown eye open "Heh, buchou. Sorry I couldn't stop him. Is Genma okay?" Shura nodded "That's good. He was just trying to help, but those guys are way above him."

Shura balanced on the balls of his feet as Iruka sat up and rubbed his head. "Headache?" He laughed quietly as Iruka made a face at him "Come on Iruka-kun, I'll need help limping to see Mitsuo. She looked pretty beat up when I left her." Iruka sighed in a put upon manner, but stood up anyway to help his new friend walk. They made it slower than Shura would have liked, but he really couldn't move that fast with pain lacing through his leg.

Mitsuo was sitting against the wall with bandages wrapped around her chest preserving her modesty while Kurenai applied antiseptic to a cut on her stomach. The shirt was pulled back on as soon as a bandage covered the cut and Shura cleared his throat "Yuhi-san, Mitsuo-san. Are you okay Mitsuo-san? No permanent damage?"

She smiled reassuringly at him "I'm fine now Inuzuka-san. Kei is captured?" Shura nodded and Kurenai cleared her throat.

The girl glared at Shura for a second before speaking "Renji's gone to get the guy who knows earth style, the jail is towards the front of the Underground and the infirmary is further back. The first match will be in an hour so let your block know. All the younger years have already been rounded up so you don't have to worry about that. How bad is your leg?"

Shura blinked, blinked again, and then looked down at his leg like he had no idea what she was talking about. Kurenai got frustrated waiting for him to show signs of intelligence and unraveled the bandage. Blood oozed out, but it was slower than when he'd first gotten it bandaged. Kurenai tsked and began to clean the wound up.

When a chûnin showed up to let them know the crisis was over, two days later, Shura was rather fond of Iruka and Renji. They were fun to be around, especially when they were together. He'd found out half way through the second day that they didn't mix well when put together. It was like oil and water, or vinegar and an open wound. Sparks flew as bright as the sun and provided him with ample entertainment when he wasn't on fight duty.

His good humor, however, was swiftly and thoroughly murdered by the news that his mother was dead. It was buried when he learned that Iruka's parents were both dead as well. Momosuke threw himself into missions instead of being a father and Hana immersed herself in learning all the medical crap she could, leaving Shura to take care of baby Kiba.

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So…I almost decided to end it at the end of the scene in Shura's bedroom, but I changed my mind! For those of you who are annoyed with how slow I'm going, there is a time jump coming up so be happy! Also, what's with the trickle of reviews? After voting was done no one wanted to review! I was sure I would have to announce what the pairing was and who won it for the 150th reviewer this chapter! Maybe I should hold updates hostage!

Review please, they really are the only thing keeping me from abandoning this story.

Taku


	8. Chapter 8

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he somehow won!)

**Diclaimer::** Ummm I own all seven books and several chapters of the manga...does that mean I own it? No? Okay...I'll just go cuddle my Fuji plushie and cry ina corner.

**Note::** The laptop isn't fixed yet, but I typed up and saved everything to a thumb drive so I can go to the library computers and upload the chapters for you! I'm sorry there was such a long wait this time, I try to be a little consistent in the length of time between chapters. For those of you interested, I've managed to write Shura's first meeting with Haku and his encounter with Remus! The plot is really picking up! I think it's this chapter, then maybe another one, then the time skip. -giggle- I'[m so excited!

**Contest winner!!! **yllom21 Was the 150th reviewer and will have a one-shot out with next update. It is a CloudxSephiroth after Advent Children with Zack as another "main" character. I've written most of it already, just got to finish it up and check my spelling! I'll post it's stats with the next update for those of you who want to know about it before reading it. Right now it looks like it will be heavy M though. I might have to post it a LiveJournal or something similar! I'll provide a link in my profile if tha happens though.

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A year after the attack Shura was now a genin at the tender age of eight. He was on team 13 with Mitsuo and Iruka as team mates. Their sensei, Raydon Hasunuma, liked to impersonate the shinobi clans and was always a new person whenever they met. He also liked to try sneaking up on them when they weren't expecting it. He'd only gotten Shura a few times and that made the Inuzuka very proud indeed.

Kiba was being watched by Aburame Hajime's wife. Little Shino and Kiba got along alright and Shura was eternally grateful she didn't mind watching his pup as well. Kiba was starting to talk and oddly enough, at least to Shura, his favorite word was mommy. Every time he said it Hana and his father laughed so whatever it was, was probably their fault.

A body slammed into his, making him stumble "Buchou!" Iruka's voice rang out as the bigger boy scrambled off of him and helped Shura to stand "Guess what! Hasunuma-sensei says we're going on a mission to grass country! Some girl is traveling there and she says she needs an escort to protect her!" Iruka bent over slightly to whisper in Shura's ear "She's really pretty too."

The Inuzuka snorted "You're an idiot Iruka, and don't call me buchou. How long is this mission going to take, do you know?"

Iruka looked thoughtful for a second before his face brightened as he apparently remembered "Five days! She doesn't want to move to fast because the heat of the season makes her need to rest more. Such a fine lady." Iruka sighed as if he were in love and Shura shoved him away with a disgusted look.

This presented a problem for him. Momosuke was away on a mission in Suna and Hana couldn't be trusted to watch anything human for very long. He really hated having to ask his best friends brothers family to watch Kiba for so long, but his options were looking slim. "You know that anyone in your family would watch him. Doing something for the alpha seems to please them a lot."

Startled eyes turned on Iruka. The goofball wasn't usually that insightful. Sure he knew about the Inuzuka pack structure in far more detail than anyone outside the family, but that didn't mean he understood it enough to make accurate guesses like that very often. "I know, but he likes being able to go visit little Shino and I know my family won't let him. They dislike that I'm so close with Koishi as it is."

Thinking quickly, Iruka turned his friend around "Go ask Aburame-san if she'll watch your brother for the duration of the mission and I'll let sensei know you're going to be a little late." The Inuzuka raced off to do that and Iruka continued on to the training grounds they regularly met at. Hasunuma-sensei was waiting there with Mitsuo and Lady Misa.

"Gomen sensei, buchou is going to be a little late. He has to make sure Aburame-san can watch his brother while he's away." Hasunuma nodded behind his high collar. He was impersonating an Aburame today. Several minutes later Shura showed up with Doku hot on his heals.

Lady Misa spoke up before anyone else could "This area is occupied little boy, you and your dog will have to find somewhere else to play until we leave." Mitsuo's eyes widened as she realized first what the woman had said.

Hasunuma cracked a grin behind his high collar and Iruka's face paled "Lady Misa…" but the warning was to late. The woman had already reached out a hand to turn Shura around.

If there was one thing that the young Inuzuka couldn't stand, it was people treating him like he was a child. He was the alpha male in his family, the youngest genin in his year, and the fierce mother of a young pup. NO child could have accomplished that and he made sure everyone knew he was no child.

One could understand the surprise of his teammates when he simply sidestepped her hand and picked up the last remaining pack "Sorry I'm late sensei, Aburame-san wanted me to bring these along for everyone as a parting gift."

Iruka, even in his dazed state, recognized the sweet bean rolls that Shura sometimes brought when they were training. He hurriedly snatched the bag and got his out "Thanks buchou! I didn't get breakfast today." Shura scowled at him as he snatched the bag back and handed out the other two. He'd already eaten his on the way there.

Furious at being ignored, Lady Misa stepped forward "Hasunuma! Do you mean to tell me that the genin team I hired has an academy student tag along?!" Her anger was apparent as she pointed accusingly at Shura who was ignoring her in favor of tossing small pieces of something to Doku. Hasunuma just shrugged at her and called his genin to attention.

They left the village with Lady Misa still fuming over her supposed waste of money. Shura walked in front with Iruka and Mitsuo to either side and a little behind him. Hasunuma walked beside Lady Misa behind the three just listening to his two more social genin talk. Every now and then they'd speed up to ask Shura his opinion and he'd give it to them in a quiet voice that they listened to with rapt attention before falling back again.

He found it kind of funny that the three of them had such a well defined relationship between them. Shura was the leader, the buchou. If he wasn't around then Mitsuo went to Iruka, the fukubuchou. If neither of them were around then she dealt with it herself, forgetting that she had a sensei entirely.

Hasunuma and the other jyônin that were assigned a genin team had all noticed a pattern similar to this amongst those that came from A-block. They went to Shura first, then Iruka, then Mitsuo and if none of them could be found one of the jyônin instructors were sought out.

There were a few who were disgruntled by this, but for the most part his colleagues enjoyed not having to deal with the complaints or small squabbles of their genin charges. It also helped decide who one went to during joint missions with other genin teams. Though he'd noticed that certain people in other blocks were afforded the same deference.

He hadn't had a joint mission with any of these teams, so he wasn't sure how they would figure out the hierarchy between them. Despite this, for all the genin from A Block Shura's word was almost as good as the Hokage's.

Chakra melted stealthily into the area and Hasunuma felt the wind pick up. He'd noticed that the element was much more volatile around Shura, responding to him even if the Inuzuka had no idea it was. Obviously the dog user had realized there was a foreign chakra as well and the bloodline limit, Hasunuma had decided that had to be what it was, was responding to his increased awareness.

Doku had also disappeared from the path they were on. "I'm telling you Mitsuo, Abarai is a useless idiot who would get us all killed if we let him command a mission. I feel sorry for whoever ends up in his team if he ever makes it passed genin level!"

Frown firmly planted on her face, Mitsuo shook her head "Abarai-kun was a commander, just like buchou-" Hasunuma's ears perked as he realized they might drop some clues as to why so many people followed Shura's orders so willingly "-and he would have to have some sort of skill to be that now wouldn't he?" Iruka still looked rebellious so Mitsuo moved forward a little faster to get Shura to convince the Umino.

Following her so he could try and argue his point first, both fell silent at the blank look on Shura's face. He usually had some look of annoyance for them whenever they came to get him to agree with them. Mitsuo recovered first and said quietly "Well buchou and where did Doku go?" Hasunuma listened carefully, that question had far more depth to it then just wanting the others agreement.

"He ran ahead, he saw a few rabbits and wanted to chase them. It looked like there were enough of them for each of us to have at least one, sensei will probably want three all by himself though." Both genin tensed up and Hasunuma held his breath as he realized exactly what had been said. "And Renji-kun has his merits as well as his defects."

Iruka crowed in triumph, but it wasn't his usual expression of victory. Mitsuo was staring into the trees off to the side as if she didn't want to look at him right then. Realizing he was being ignored, Iruka looked off to the other side with a humph and crossed his arms like a petulant child. Hasunuma marveled at how smoothly they'd set up watch, determined how many attackers there were, and made it seem like they were a divided team of children prone to childish acts.

Lady Misa complained that she'd hired stupid babies to protect her and that she might as well just kill herself for all the good they would do. Hasunuma couldn't help thinking her an idiot for not seeing how very intelligent and synchronized they were. It was almost like they'd rehearsed these things before. Perhaps he'd have a talk with Shura once they'd set up camp.

Doku came bounding out of the forest some time later and Shura caught him as the puppy jumped into his arms. Mitsuo and Iruka still refused to look at each other, preferring to watch the trees than interact with one another. The puppy was continuing to bark happily as Shura seemingly held a conversation with him. Lady Misa groaned that her supposed protectors were insane as well as childish.

Before she could finish insulting team 13, shinobi were dropping out of the trees. She screamed a little and Hasunuma shoved her behind him "Mitsuo, Iruka! Four on the left! Doku, go protect Lady Misa!" The puppy barked and jumped from Shura's arms atop one of the attacking shinobi's heads before pushing off, knocking the guy down, and landing right in front of the cowering woman.

Hasunuma took care of three of the attackers in the first five minutes. Two more fell at Iruka's hands while another one was brought down by Mitsuo's 'Ghost Jutsu'. It caused the opponent to think they'd died and were in hell, making them incapable of continuing to fight. The quiet voice he'd grown so used to hearing seemed to echo in the resulting silence.

Something cruel, dark, had entered it and when Hasunuma realized what the jutsu was he was to late to stop it. "Shokubutsu: Shi Ha Chidarake no Jutsu!" (Plant Style: Bloody Death leaf) The plants around them seemed to come alive as they reached out to the last attacker. Large green leaves wrapped around him to form what looked like a giant flower bud. A quick glance at Shura showed his normally soft features twisted in a sadistic grin as wind whipped his long hair around his head.

The blood curdling scream of one in the most excruciating pain imaginable seemed prolonged as the wind carried it around the group. The green leaves were seeping into a reddish-brown color that sent ice through Hasunuma's veins. He didn't want to think of the reason behind the color change, especially not with the plant blooming before them.

The crushed body in the center of the flower like leaves now had vines weaving through it. Smaller versions of the 'flower' were dragging entrails into the ground. By the time the flower had turned a beautiful blood red the mans body resembled a shriveled seed. Shura ended the jutsu and the plant broke apart to return to its original positions as branches or bushes. The body was dragged underground by a few vines and no evidence of the brutal murder was left behind.

A quick look at his other two genin's stony faces showed that they had seen this before. He wasn't sure when, he'd certainly never even known that any of them knew of the jutsu. Lady Misa broke the tense silence with a horrified sob. The jyônin turned to look at her, she'd gotten sick all over the ground in front of her. "Shiozu, Umino, go make sure Inuzuka is alright. I'll take care of this." The two moved toward their friend and talked quietly at him until his tense posture and maniacal grin had relaxed into a pleased smirk.

That night, as everyone was settling in for sleep, Hasunuma sat down next to Shura in the tree he'd chosen for his watch. The two didn't speak for a long while, waiting for one of them to start this conversation.

Finally Shura spoke "I am alpha Hasunuma-sensei. Leader, protector of my pack. Saying something like 'We will kill your family, friends, and village if you don't give up.' is bound to stir my less pleasant feelings even if I am only eight."

He closed his eyes "Aside from that I am buchou, friend, protected. I cannot let them get to those I protect or those who protect me. That man was no shinobi sensei. I've seen him in my dreams, nightmares." The green eyes opened and suddenly Hasunuma wasn't so sure of the child's obliviousness to his bloodline limit. "He can kill with just a few words, can find out anything he wants by stealing a strand of hair."

A harsh smile formed on Shura's face "He wasn't expecting the docile child of being capable of such dangerous jutsu. Didn't think I'd be able to stop him from reaching my pup, my pack." Suddenly he clammed up. Surprise showed on his face for several long seconds before he straightened "Gomen nasai Hasunuma-sensei, was there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

Hasunuma cleared his throat quietly "Yes actually, some of the jyônin have been wondering why the genin from your year seem to hold your word in more esteem than theirs." Shura's cheeks reddened. He hadn't thought anyone had noticed that outside of those who already knew.

Squirming a bit under his teachers purple stare, the Inuzuka took a deep breath "You remember when the Kyuubi attacked?" Hasunuma nodded. Many great shinobi had been lost in that battle, including the fourth Hokage. "Well I was in my second to last year as an academy student and I had the most skill in my class. The teachers organized their classes into teams and assigned each block an over-all commander."

A long strand of hair was pulled around to be absently played with "I was assigned as the commander for A-block. I guess that everyone just remembers that and expects me to be a good mediator for them." He shrugged a bit self consciously.

His sensei looked thoughtful for a second before speaking again "And earlier, when you were warning Umino and Shiozu about the shinobi following us. I wanted to know how they knew what you were talking about. It was almost like you'd all rehearsed what to do if an enemy is stalking you and you need to have a look out that wasn't obvious."

Shura brightened considerably at this question "It was good, wasn't it? I can't take credit for this one though. Mitsuo-chan came up with the code for the most part. I send Doku out to mark all of the enemies with his scent and once he's gotten to the last one I signal them discreetly like this-" he moved his fingers in a pattern that could have been just him rubbing at an itch on a finger "-and they come to the point in their argument that means I have to side with one of them."

The young face seemed much more innocent with that soft smile "Of course they've been arguing about something since Doku disappeared so Mitsuo-chan has to ask where he went. She really likes dogs you know." Greens eyes seemed to sparkle in the moon light "Puppies are easily distracted though, so he's gone off after some sort of animal. However many I say he's chasing is the approximate number of enemies."

"They can do what they want after that, usually they pretend to be ignoring each other, but sometimes they'll go off to fight out who is right on whatever they were arguing about and no one has to worry about attackers after that. Rabbits are Shinobi, we just assume they're at Kage level unless we can feel an accurate chakra level. Birds are bandits, mice are friendly shinobi or travelers, and a fox is unknown everything as well as unknown if Doku marked them all."

Hasunuma contemplated this for several long seconds before something stood out in his mind "How do you know the number if they were marked by smell? Surely your nose isn't that good." The Inuzuka had to cover his mouth to keep from waking anyone up with his laughter.

Delicate sniffs of the air brought a blush to Shura's face again "Ah, you ate an onion bagel for breakfast this morning, stopped by the Hokage's office, and borrowed that coat from Aburame Kai." Hasunuma's eyes narrowed.

A suspicious note in his voice he said "I always have a bagel for breakfast, I have to go to the Hokage's office when we have missions that take us from the village for more than two days, and you've probably seen Kai-kun wearing this coat before."

Poor Shura's blush darkened considerably "You ah, you also had sex with Kuchiki-san about an hour before you met with Mitsuo-chan and Iruka-kun." Hasunuma gaped at the child before him.

No one knew about his relationship with Kuchiki Byakuya, not even the Hokage. Technically no one was supposed to know about Byakuya either as he was part of the Special Ops. Unit that dealt with things outside the gate. Deciding he was convinced enough of the sensitivity of the Inuzuka's nose, Hasunuma dropped from the tree and went to sleep as far from the genin as possible.

The rest of the mission went off without a hitch. Lady Misa was delivered to her father, who was a retired shinobi living in one of the more wealthy civilian villages. Hasunuma resolved to let the Hokage know about Shura's unusual knowledge and abilities when they got back to Konohagakure. Iruka and Mitsuo argued the rest of the way home and Shura took pains to keep himself out of their heated debates about people they knew.

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Sooooooooooo I went to Banzai Con a few weekends ago, bought a totally awsome Fuji plush from Tennis no Ohjisama, drank a bunch of Ramune, and listened to Art Beat be ruined bya bad sound system. My friend played the Kingdom Hearts Overworld theme on piano for a bunch of peopel too. Twas an over all good time, though I wish I could go to AX. For those of you reading Shadow of Peace, I'm posting the next chapter of that next!!

Review!!!

Taku


	9. Chapter 9

M (to be safe) Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he somehow won!) Ummm I own all seven books and several chapters of the manga...does that mean I own it? No? Okay...I'll just go cuddle my Fuji plushie and cry in a corner. Still no internet at home, but that's okay! Here's the next chapter, Gaara!! I know the ending is kind of abrupt, but the next part of the story wouldn't work with this chapter. To Web, a reply for your review will be at the bottom. I wish you'd left an e-mail or something so I could 

reply directly.

CONTEST ONE-SHOT NOW UP!! yllome, I'll send you a pm with the URL.

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Two weeks after that mission team 13 was nominated to take the chûnin Exams. A month after that Shura found himself in command, as a chûnin, of a team made up of Mitsuo, Iruka, and Hyuuga Minami. She was a hyper, intelligent, and cheerful girl.

With Mitsuo's information gathering, Iruka's ability to quickly analyze a situation and immobilize a target, Minami's Byakugan, and Shura's natural talent at nearly anything he tried they were taking missions that were usually reserved for teams of jyônin.

The Inuzuka was content to remain a chûnin for the rest of his life if he could keep this team. They were all such a brilliant combination that he couldn't see himself working so smoothly with anyone else. Their teamwork was so flawless that when an official from Konohagakure had to visit Sunagakure they were assigned, along with the Anbu team, to go along.

Shurachi wasn't sure why he'd been pleased to hear about the mission as it was hot, dry, and accompanied by a Fire Lord's whiny son. If he wasn't hitting on Mitsuo, he was complaining about how tired/hot/thirsty he was. There had been angry mutterings from even the Anbu hiding wherever they were hiding!

He'd used most of the water in his canteen to keep poor Doku from getting dehydrated in the desert heat so Shura couldn't get any relief from a drink like the rest of his team. Iruka was rather pissed at him for refusing the offered drinks from their own canteens so the dolphin was ignoring him.

Mitsuo was to busy keeping an eye out for the desert creatures they'd been warned over to chatter at him like she did when she knew he was bored. And as if he wasn't already miserable enough, Minami was using little bursts of chakra to trip the lord's son and make him whine even louder.

It was with the utmost relief that they arrived at the large gates into Suna. The lord from wind had agreed that the shinobi village would be the best place to meet to discuss whatever it was they were discussing so there was a little more paperwork to go through than usual. Once it was done however, they all went off to their respective hotels.

The Anbu set up a guard on the lord's son while the chûnin team that had been hired to take him there and back settled in a less expensive hotel. They'd be there for a week, two at most, and then they'd meet up with the client for the trip back.

It had only been three days, but Shura was feeling the heat as badly as his furry dog. A tessen was being used as a regular fan as he walked down a slightly crowded street. People parted for him, seeing the hitai-ate wrapped around his upper right arm, and small children came up to touch Doku before running off giggling. All the dogs in Suna were small and hairless, not his kind of pooch.

Pausing briefly at a stand to buy some fruit juice, water was way to expensive, Shura glanced around the street. Doku was beside him, the teenaged dog small for his species, but huge for the people in this city. There were children clumped in groups all around the street, giggling at Doku, and older people bustling around.

The only thing that really seemed out of place was the small child standing off to the side by himself. He held a stuffed bear close to himself and looked barely old enough to be walking around, if that. Probably about two or three years old. Where was his mother? An older sibling maybe?

Ah well, it wasn't any of his business anyway. Sipping down the last of his juice, Shura handed the glass back to the vendor and continued on his way down the street. He wanted to get back to his, marginally, cooler hotel before the hottest part of the day arrived. Doku moved a little closer to him and whined quietly.

At the noise Shura paused and looked down. Tired, soulful eyes looked back at him and a small bark made him glance back. The child he'd noticed earlier paused and tried to look like he wasn't doing anything wrong. It was rather hard when everyone around him made a large perimeter, as if they didn't want to touch him.

Shrugging slightly, Shura patted Doku on the head and continued forward. The patter of little feet, heard only because he had practice listening for Kiba and Shino, continued to follow him until he jumped onto the roof of his hotel. It was easier to get his room from the roof entrance as it was on the top floor.

A few more days of being followed around by the little kid lead to Shura becoming slightly fond of him. It was cute how the child would always be waiting for him to leave the hotel every morning, would follow him through the streets at a distance, and then would follow him back. Worrying yes, but cute all the same.

Iruka was talking to him again, though now he wished he weren't, and constantly teased Shura about his stalker.

The teasing stopped however, when the child showed up in the middle of the night with tear filled cheeks and quiet sobs. Shura wasn't sure how the boy had managed to get on his balcony, or how he managed to sneak into his room without setting Doku off right away or being caught by Iruka, but he didn't think those things were half as important as the small face pressed to his chest.

Shurachi rocked the two of them on his bed, murmuring little shushing noises and reassuring words. "There, there little one. It's alright, you're safe. No need to cry, come on now." The sobs did slow to sniffles after a few minutes and Shura leaned back to wipe the tears away. "Now tell me what's wrong, why are you crying?"

Murky green eyes, a shade lighter than his own, stared up at Shura. Both of them ignored Iruka, who was guarding the door, and continued to stare at each other until the little boy gave in. "Yash'maru-oji is gone on a mis-mish…misson fer the rest of the monf." Another little sniffle and Shura suppressed a smile at the mispronounced words.

"Why did you come to me? Why not your Otousan? I'm sure he's worried about you." The child shook his head, almost franticly clinging to Shura now.

"'Tou-san say I have to stay 'way 'till Yash'maru-oji comes home." The child burried his face in Shura's chest again and remained quiet until his shaking had calmed somewhat. "You was nice to me." Shura blinked down at the child in confusion. "Tha's why Gaara foun' you."

Understanding lit in dark green eyes. "I see, why don't you just calm down and we'll go back to sleep. No need to stay awake so late at night." Gaara nodded and crawled off of Shura's lap to curl up beside him on the bed. The toddler closed his eyes and pushed himself into the trance-like state that replaced sleep for him. Shura settled next to him, glad that he'd taken first watch and wouldn't have to wake up until morning.

The routine he'd set up wasn't interrupted at all by the addition of Gaara as an active participant. He just took the kid along with him, bought him juice and breakfast, then settled for the midday nap with the small body curled into his chest.

It was no problem at all to ignore the disdainful looks, the frightened anger, that seemed to follow him around when he carried the child with him on his daily walk. People were stupid, they'd proven that to him a long time ago. He was just glad the paranoia in his village had died down after he'd become an official Inuzuka.

It was kind of painful to leave the little guy behind, sobbing by himself at the edge of the city for Shura to stay, when it was time to go back to Konoha.

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Web,  
It bugs me when people make Haku a girl too! It's clearly stated that he's a guy, A GUY!! As for Itachi, you'll see what happens with him soon. another two or three chapters maybe. There will be a one-shot with him and Shura once the OC is killed though, I believe it comes right after the ShinoShura one, which is the first one. I'm glad someone else sees that Shura is a dominating kritter! In regards to Naruto, you'll see! I've read "Arashi ni Narimasu" and must say that it is a marvelous story.

Shura's father kind of abandoned his "pack" when his wife died, so Shura stepped up to take his fathers place and keep their clan together. The vote is because I couldn't decide which bishie he should be with. That is one of the reasons for the one-shot pairings as well. I only count one vote per person and if I find a chain of suspicious votes then I only count two for every ten, I don't want people cheating.

Keep reading and reviewing!!

Taku


	10. Chapter 10

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** I own it in the same way Napolean is only pretending to be dead.

**Note::** Alrighty!! This chapter has STRONG SHOUNEN AI!!! The original chapter has Yaoi in it, but I took that part out here and posted it on my LJ. To get the link for that, go to my profile and clickity-click on my home page. I will later have all the risque chapters and their links listed in my profile seperately, but since the only story currently on my LJ is this one it will have to wait. ENJOY!!

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Koishi had made chûnin while Shura was away. He was also in charge of a genin team as all the jyônin, once they had a student make chûnin, were being sent on missions to prove Konoha wasn't weak after the Kyuubi attack. No matter that that had taken place almost an entire year ago.

The pair of them still met up at their clearing to practice with kikai, but now they also practiced at training ground four when it came to anything else. Shura took a break from his constant intake of knowledge to take better care of his little brother, who was still calling him mommy, so when Koishi made jyônin before him, two years after the mission to sand, he wasn't that surprised.

What did surprise him, however, was the slow changes in Koishi's behavior. He still stopped by Shura's house every chance he got, just as Shura went over to his house as often as possible so Kiba could play with Shino, but there was something different about the Aburame's visits now; something more. Almost like there was something Shura should have guessed, but just couldn't figure out. The fuzzy sensation that Shura got in the pit of his stomach every time Koishi stopped by wasn't helping him figure it out either.

Shura hadn't ever had his hair cut more than a few centimeters, so now he wore it in a high tail braided in dozens of little braids. Koishi had commented on how much he liked the hairstyle, but Shura didn't think that was the reason for the fuzzy feeling. Maybe it was the things Koishi brought with him whenever he stopped by now? There was always a gift for Shura, to make up for how long his latest mission had been Koishi said, and usually something for Kiba too.

It started simple with a new set of kunai, some senbon to slip into his ass length braids. Then it began to get a bit more personal as first a new shirt to replace the one burned during a mission was left on his windowsill, then a book on Cerberus dogs found its way onto his book case. He'd been researching that particular breed for some time and this book was the most complete he'd come across so far.

When flowers, candy, and even stuffed animals replaced the more practical things he finally mentioned it to Hana. She stared at him for several long seconds before bursting into laughter "Oh! Our little Shura-chan is growing up!" snicker snort "He'll have a partner of his own soon enough!!" She wasn't able to speak for a long time after that because every time she looked at him she'd start laughing.

Koishi was properly unhappy with her attitude when Shura went over to his house to complain to him. Koishi had to leave for a mission not long after that though, so Shura was going to visit him since he'd gotten back last night. A five year old Kiba was chattering up at him about all the things he was going to do with his best friend Shino while Akamaru trotted along beside a still teenaged Doku.

The dog was to big for Shura to carry around everywhere now and that made the twelve year old a little sad. He missed the small puppy that slept in his coat when it was cold. Bandages were wrapped loosely around Shura's arms and upper chest to hide the kikai holes. Koishi had warned him not to let anyone know about them after he'd nearly revealed the secret during a training session when he'd wanted to take off his shirt because it was hot.

He could see why his friend wouldn't want it getting out that Shura had the ability to use the main weapon of two of Konoha's more powerful families, but the bandages made it so he couldn't really get a tan. The wall of kikai that protected the Aburame compound parted for them "I don't want you getting Shino into to much trouble, okay pup? Hajime-sama has already threatened to lock you up in his closet if you don't behave."

Kiba squeaked in alarm at this and Shura held in a grin. Koishi's older brother had had to raise Shino on his own for the past two years. His wife was killed in an ambush while on a mission to the cloud village. No one was sure who did it, but Shura always did everything he could to make it easier on his friend. Kiba was enough of a handful without bringing others into his mischief after all.

The two Inuzuka separated, Doku going with Kiba, and Shura made his way to Koishi's house. The sixteen year old wasn't there to greet him at the door as usual. Instead his mother sent Shura down the hall. This was an immediate warning sign as the Aburame always met him at the door unless he was injured, sleeping, or ill.

A groan floated out of the room as he approached and Shura figured Koishi was probably injured. He didn't complain unless something hurt terribly so it must be bad.

Being as quiet as he could, Shura slid into the room and closed the door behind him. A small screen hid the main room from view so he glanced around it to see if Koishi was asleep. He didn't want to disturb his friends rest if that were the case. What green eyes found was enough to shut down the teens brain entirely.

Leaning against a mound of pillows, legs spread, pants gone, was Koishi. The older teen had a hand on his stiff cock while the other fingered his hole, slipping in occasionally. The red eyes were closed in pleasure as the normally spiky hair stuck to Koishi's forehead. "Ah, Shu-Shura, AH!" His name coming from those lips caught Shura's breath in his throat.

The Inuzuka felt himself tighten in his pants as he watched the erotic display before him. "Shurachi! Please, ah! Harder, more, please!" The calls and pleas pushed at Shura's resistance. He wasn't sure how long he could stay away with Koishi so desperate for him to do something. He saw Koishi bite his lip to keep a loud scream from escaping as something pleasurable raced through him.

Obviously his friend wasn't so far gone as to risk alerting his mother to what was being done. The lithe body arched up and it was to much for the Inuzuka to take. The scent of sex, the sound of heavy breathing, all of it was mixing in his mind to trigger his instinct to mate. He needed Koishi right then almost as much as he needed to breath.

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Groaning slightly, he moved to pull out of Koishi. This was quickly halted by the legs around him tightening "We have to get cleaned up Koishi. Your screaming was loud enough to wake the dead." Koishi protested, but let Shura pull out of him. One last squeeze to the soft cock was nearly enough to change Shura's mind. "Mizu: Heiwa no Taki no Jutsu." (Water: Cascade of Peace)

A small trickle of water shot from Shura's mouth to soak the cloth all Inuzuka's carried to save their sensitive noses from overload. He used that to wipe the semen from both of them "Ano, Shurachi-kun?" Shura looked up from where he'd been cleaning himself off with a frown. It had been a long time since Koishi had called him Shurachi-kun.

The Aburame was bright red and refused to meet his eyes "G-gomen Shurachi-kun. I know what smell and sound do to you." He bit his lip and Shura realized with a start that the other was nervous Shura would be mad at him. "I, well I knew you were there. My kikai warned me when you came in and I couldn't help wanting you."

The blush darkened and Shura took a deep breath. With a sly smile he slid up to rest his head next to Koishi's on the pillow "Ne, Shi-chan, your room smells really good right now. Like heat and sweat and sex…" He trailed off to bring his lips inches away from Koishi's "And us. I think I like that smell the most." He pressed their lips together and Koishi was so startled he didn't respond for a very long time.

When he did though, they stayed spread on the futon, side by side, kissing until the squeal of children coming towards the house with excited barking pulled them apart. Shura rolled away and pulled on his clothes "Come on lover, time to face the brats." Shura pulled a face like it was the worst imaginable punishment ever conceived.

Both of them took some time to sort out Shura's hair before leaving the room. They made it into the kitchen just as Kiba and Shino burst in. They rushed to hide behind the two teens as Hajime followed close after. He paused at the sight of his younger brother and couldn't help the knowing smile from spreading over his face. Koishi's face reddened and he sunk a little into his coat, Shura just smirked back at the older brother.

As if to prove his claim, he growled slightly. Hajime's smile widened into a grin while Kiba squealed and moved to hide behind Shino instead of his brother. Whenever mommy growled like that someone was going to be attacked. It didn't matter if it was a fun attack or a scary attack. The five year old was understandably puzzled when Shura just moved to call Doku away from a cloud of kikai.

Both dogs bounded over excitedly, barking about things they'd seen or people that had petted them. Kiba was especially excited to hear that Akamaru had made a new friend among the small number of animals that roamed the compound. "Mommy? Can we stay here for dinner?! Hajime-nii says he doesn't mind so long as it's okay with you!"

The smirk turned amused as green eyes glanced at a sheepish looking Hajime. The man couldn't cook worth a damn and often invited people over that he knew would cook for him. If that didn't work he'd send Shino off to eat at his grandmothers while he ate whatever leftovers he could find. It was kind of cute when he thought about it long enough.

"Hai, we can stay for dinner. Go play and we'll call you when dinner is ready." The children, or rather Kiba, crowed in triumph and Kiba dragged Shino back outside with him. "You, my dearest Hajime-nii, are going to learn to cook something today or I'm going to carve out your kikai with a rusty shuriken." The two Aburame men were slightly freaked out by how happy that thought made Shura.

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!! A LINK TO THE FULL CHAPTER WILL BE PROVIDED IN MY PROFILE. PLEASE DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU ARE MATURE ENOUGH TO DO SO!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** In Soviet Russia, I still don't own either one of them.

**Note::** Someone won a contest and asked for a chapter earlier than usual as a reward. I agreed. Also, ZOMG!!! I'MMA HATE THE NEXT CHAPTER!! Naruto in this one, enjoy!!

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Two years later found Shura dodging an attack as Kiba tried to land a kick to his shoulder. The seven year old had started in the academy six months ago and was eager to show off everything he learned as well as prove to his "Kaa-san" how much he'd improved in the skills said fourteen year old had taught him.

Shura would be going on his final qualifying mission before the jyônin exams with Koishi as his partner so the child was especially eager to prove he could protect the pack while his mother was away.

Every chûnin had to go on three S-ranked missions with a jyônin partner before they could qualify for the jyônin exams. Usually the person they partnered with was also who ended up being their partner afterwards. He was rather glad he'd pulled Koishi's name from the pile, as one could imagine. Another shot to his shoulder was dodged and he cried out in surprise as sharp teeth lodged in his hand.

Immediately the puppy let go and Shura inspected the wound with a wide grin. It wasn't anything a few days wrapped in bandages wouldn't fix. "Good job Kiba! You'll have to tell Koishi-nii all about how you managed to beat me when he comes over."

A smooth voice startled both Inuzuka "No need to tell me, I saw the whole thing. That was an excellent tactic Kiba-chan, distracting your mother by attacking his shoulder while Akamaru went for his hand. I knew it was smart of me to get this for you." The Aburame pulled a package from behind his back and Kiba made an excited noise.

Glancing quickly at Shura, who nodded his permission, Kiba rushed over to hug Koishi then take the package from him. Both teens laughed as the child eagerly tore open the box. Inside was a set of eight kunai, three shuriken, and ten senbon. "I heard you'd be starting a weapons unit soon so I figured you'd need something to practice with."

"Sugoi!! Koishi-nii these are great! Nya, Mommy? Will you teach me? Please?!" Shura laughed loudly at that. Koishi came over to wrap his arms around the smaller teen in a display that made Kiba grin.

When he'd calmed down, Shura grinned brightly at Kiba "I think I'll leave that one to your sensei Kiba-pup. I'm terrible when it comes to weapons training." He chuckled again as he remembered how very frightened Koishi had ended up being when he tried to teach Shura how to throw and use weapons. He'd missed his target every time and almost always managed to land one near Koishi.

Said Aburame shuddered in his own remembrance "Yes, you should have your sensei teach you that." He began walking Shura backwards and Kiba followed with a curious expression "Come on you two, I'm buying us all ramen tonight to celebrate Kiba's landing one on his mother." Shura huffed, but didn't pull away when Koishi turned them around to walk forward down the street.

A few people threw them disgusted looks, but for the most part women cooed and guys that knew them cat called. They sat down at Ichiraku's ramen stand, Kiba in between his makeshift "parents." Shura had just placed his order when his eye was caught by a blond kid peaking at them through the cloth hanging over the stand.

Worn looking orange clothes, skinny appearance, hungry expression. "Make that two shrimp, one wasabi, and one chicken Ojiisan." The man started up a third pot as Koishi and Kiba looked at him questioningly. He merely smiled at them and placed the chicken ramen at the only empty seat. Digging into his wasabi ramen with a grin as his two companions made a face, Shura watched the small orange blob out of the corner of his eye.

Unfortunately, the glasses he'd chosen to wear that day didn't improve his peripheral vision. So he contented himself with just knowing that the kid was hungry enough to investigate. Once a blond head poked in, probably to get a better sniff, Shura spoke up "Kit-chan! You're finally here, we've been waiting you know. Sit down and eat before your ramen gets any colder."

His tone was light, as if he really had invited the other to eat with them before then. The boy eyed him suspiciously for several long second, but Shura only turned and ordered another wasabi ramen. After Kiba was quieted by Koishi, before he could ask questions of course, the boy sat down and hurriedly began to eat. His bowl was empty, as was his seat, by the time Shura's wasabi was half finished.

That night, while Kiba lay sleeping in his own bed, Shura basked in the after glow of his most recent mating with Koishi. It was rare for either of them to switch positions, but tonight Shura had played uke and he was rather satisfied for it. "Shu-koi? What happened back at the ramen shop? Why did you help that boy out?"

Bliss receding slightly, the Inuzuka rolled over so he could look at Koishi's face. His long hair brushed the backs of his thighs and slid over Koishi's own skin as he adjusted himself. It was a pain, but Koishi liked the feel of Shura's hair sliding over them during sex. He supposed it was worth the tangles to be able to get his boyfriend hot and bothered so very quick.

Twining their fingers together, Shura smiled "Kit-chan is a special someone Koishi. If it wasn't for him then I might have lost more than my mother. Plus, I can't turn away a hungry child." He chuckled quietly and realization dawned on Koishi's face.

With a small smile that was reserved for Shurachi alone, Koishi said quietly "Kit-chan. Heh."

That morning both of them were gone before Kiba even thought about waking up. Hana was there to make him breakfast and walk him to the academy, but Kiba disliked having to rely on his older sister. She loved him, that he knew, but sometimes it was hard for him to believe that as she always put animals before him. Thank goodness he'd be going home with Shino-kun until his mommy got back!

The mission started without any sign of a problem. It was rather simple, retrieve a scroll and return it to Konoha at all costs. Shura figured the scroll probably had something very important in it to make it an S-rank mission. He'd left Koishi at the camp site, as he was supposed to be the one to retrieve the scroll, and gone on his merry way.

Someone must have tipped the enemy off however, because as soon as he had the scroll shinobi from mist had popped up everywhere and begun to chase him through the trees. That was why Shura was panting as another senbon found its way into his flesh. He had to kill them before they got to Koishi, he had to!

His lover was counting on him to do this right so they could work together for real. Twisting as he jumped from one branch to another he quickly formed the seals and blew damaging fire at his final pursuer. The woman screamed in pain as the flame engulfed her.

Shura stopped to watch her body burn to a crisp before hurrying back to camp. The sun had set some time ago and Koishi would have to come look for him if he didn't arrive soon. The small hole in his hand itched and Doku suddenly barked in alarm. The dog was ahead of him, had gotten to camp first. He wished neither of them had made it back.

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HAHAHAHAHA CLIFFY FROM HELL!!!! Don't kill me, I couldn't reveal the next chapter to you so soon and it begins where this one ends.


	12. Chapter 12

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** So I says to her, I says. "You gots a problem wit me stealin' yer characters?" An' she says "I'll sue you!"

**Note::** Okay...a longer one for havign posted a cliffie. Also, BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT LAST PART COMING!!! WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Go and read the one-shot that is now up! There will be a series of them for those of you who don't know yet. The first is KoishiShino and it makes me giggle. ENJOY LOYAL FOLLOWERS OF THE KING!!

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Koishi lay on the ground, neck slit. Uchiha Itachi, an Anbu that had graduated when Shura entered the academy was hunched over his head. The Inuzuka couldn't see his face, but tears were slowly diluting the small splatters of blood and snow. "U-Uchiha-san?"

The man flinched at the quiet question and Shura was in to much shock to care that his voice had sounded every bit like the child he was. Eyes a lighter red than his beloveds raised and Shura was frozen at the sight of the blood on Itachi's own face. A hesitant sniff at the air made him fall to his knees "Inuzuka-san…" there was no enemy scent. Only Koishi, Itachi, and Doku.

The Anbu stood as Shura's breath began to come in short gasps. He'd had friends die, had been helpless to change anything as he watched them perish. Why couldn't he think? Air, he needed air! Shura was leaning forward on his hands now and the wind was starting to whip around the clearing they'd been using as a camp.

"Inuzuka-san, I didn't mean…he startled me when I was running and…" Itachi trailed off as he watched the leader of the Inuzuka clan break down. Pain, sorrow, and a multitude of other regretful emotions swirled in deadly red eyes while Shura stared unseeingly at the ground. "Shurachi-buchou…" The pain became to much. Hearing his nickname said by the same man that had just killed his lover forced everything to the front.

A desperate keen erupted from the fourteen year olds throat "No, NO! He's not d-dead! He's not!" A sob tore at Shura's throat, but he didn't care. Koishi was-"HE CAN'T! Uchiha…why…? Gods, please! Why, how could he be dead?" Itachi looked away from the desperate eyes. He couldn't bear to look at the devastated expression.

Ignoring the wind, Itachi picked Koishi's body up and brought it over to Shura. He settled the bloody corpse before Shurachi with the head resting on the Inuzuka's lap. He crouched beside the keening youth and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear "I'm sorry Shurachi-san. No one was supposed to be hurt." A memory of his younger brother kissing his cheek when he thought Itachi had been sad surfaced and the Uchiha pressed a quick, bloody peck to Shura's cheek.

Doku was circling them, growling low in his throat, but he let Itachi pass when the man went to escape. His human couldn't take another death right now, not even one in revenge. Besides, Mira was coming with his human and some others. Doku's human would be taken care of soon and then they could get revenge for the one who smelled of grass and sun.

Shura was nearly catatonic when his uncle arrived on the scene. The man moved immediately to his nephew, or as the others of his pack knew the teen, Alpha. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. Shura's fingers were threading through the blood rough hair of the corpse in his lap and was hardly aware that anyone had shown up at all.

A quick glance at his Anbu captain gave him permission to stay behind as the other two followed the three other dogs tracking Itachi's scent. He wrapped his arms around Shura's shoulders and the boy shuddered "Ano, Kunimitsu-oji? He said to me, right before I left to perform my mission, that if something happened to him I was to stay here and take care of everyone."

Tears began to well in the darkened eyes "Is it wrong for me to want to break my promise?" He was so drained that the wind couldn't even build up the strength to do more than ruffle their hair and lift a few snowflakes. The clearing was destroyed already by Shura's grief, though his uncle supposed it was the work of Itachi.

Closing sad brown eyes, Kunimitsu held the youth tighter "No kashira, it isn't wrong of you to want that. Few know the agony of losing one so precious as the mate of an Inuzuka. We would not hold it against you if you followed him into the next world." Shura's lips turned up in the barest of smiles.

Moving back from his uncle and dead lover the teen stood up "Aa, thank you Kunimitsu-oji. I promised him though, and Inuzuka never go back on their word. Besides, little Kiba would be sad if I didn't come back to save him from mean Hana-neechan." He chuckled and the sound made Kunimitsu flinch behind his Anbu mask. "You'd better hurry if you're going to catch up to your squad Oji. I'll take care of things here."

Kunimitsu hesitated for a split second before dashing off with Mira on his heals. Shura stared into the sky for several long minutes before collecting the scattered gear. He packed it all up tightly and slipped Koishi's share onto Doku. The dog walked around the clearing to get used to the feel of it while Shura settled his pack so it was on his stomach.

Heaving Koishi onto his back, he tied the feet and legs around himself and leapt into the trees. When he arrived in the village a pair of jounin took Koishi from him. He let his blood soaked hair hide his face from the two the entire time and dashed off once he'd been relieved of the body.

Neither of them tried to stop him as the entire jounin division knew exactly what this final mission had meant to the two. Shura ignored any calls he got from shinobi that could see him as he blurred across the rooftops. Dropping down in front of a small house he pulled a key from under one of the potted plants and went in.

Immediately he was assaulted by the scent of sex and the quiet cries of the two engaging in it. He quirked a bitter smile and settled to wait for them on the couch. He'd wanted to talk with his old teammate, but if Mitsuo was busy he could wait for her. Besides, from the sound of it they were almost done anyway. "Ah!" Shura only had to wait ten minutes before the blond was padding down the hall in nothing but a shirt.

Mitsuo froze at the sight of the shinobi on her couch and the bitter smile stretched into an unhinged grin. "B-buchou!"

Warm arms slid around her waist "Heh, why doesn't this surprise me? I think I should be in shock right now, but I can't seem to muster up the energy for it." Doku whined softly "So my kunoichi teammate is actually a boy eh? And our kichigai jimita sensei is his boyfriend. Oi Doku, I think maybe Iruka would have been the better choice, even if he is an idiot."

Shura went to get up, but Mitsuo was already there to stop him. Somehow she'd, or rather _he'd_, gotten a blanket around his lower half. Concerned blue eyes turned on the dead looking shinobi. "Buchou, what happened to you? Why are you covered in blood and how come you're back so soon?"

Someone cleared their throat and Mitsuo looked behind himself at Hasunuma "Let him clean up a bit Mitsuo. He'll feel more human and it'll be easier for him to explain if he isn't still stuck in shinobi mode." The grin stretched impossibly wide before breaking for harsh laughter.

"Shinobi mode? No my friend, this isn't shinobi mode. Saa, my mate is gone." Slightly hysterical laughter bubble out of his throat. "You might not think it so bad, Kuchiki-san is gone off to the place of weird smells with his wife, no?" The grin faded somewhat "I can't trade out so easily though. He's been my mate since I got here, my protector. Now I'm alone and my pup is going to start worrying for me when he finds out."

All the energy seemed to leave Shura in a giant rush. His face blanked, his body slumped, and he look about ready to pass out. Mitsuo caught him as he slumped forward with a little broken sound "I think you need a shower, Buchou. After that some warm food and a soft futon." He placed the younger shinobi in Hasunuma's arms "See if he'll wash himself for me please? I'll make us something to eat and get out the spare futon."

Neither man protested and just went down the hall to the bathroom. Shura blinked slowly as a bright light was flicked on "Sensei?" the older male hummed in response "I'm glad you have Mitsuo-chan. He's a very caring person, even after I've found out his secret."

Hasunuma couldn't keep a smile off his face as he drew the water for a bath. "Mitsu-chan could care less if you knew about it. He was planning on telling you and Iruka once you'd become a jounin anyway." The smile became warmer "And I'm glad I have him too. I think I would have accidentally destroyed myself after Byakuya told me he'd gotten married and was leaving the next day if I didn't. That guy has always been such a jerk."

Shura stood as his clothing was removed then stepped into the bath. He let his hair sit out of the tub on the floor. At his old sensei's questioning look he sighed tiredly "It won't clean up very well unless I take a shower, but I'm to tired to deal with that right now. I'll just put it in a bun and wash it later." Now Hasunuma was a little worried. Inuzuka Shurachi was not a vain person, but he couldn't stand his luscious hair being in anything other than perfect condition.

Leaving the teen to himself, Hasunuma followed his nose to the kitchen. Mitsuo was leaning against the counter with a hand over his face. He could just barely see the futon set up in the living room as he approached the stressed chûnin. "Mitsu-koi?" The quiet question brought the hand down and salty tears were revealed to Hasunuma.

"Hasu-kun, I've never…Buchou has never been so broken before. After his mother died he was very much like this. Losing his mind, pushing us away. He learned the Bloody Death Leaf because it could kill an opponent of any size so long as there was enough foliage around, you know. Iruka-kun and I watched him target small packs of cow blood for hours so he could protect his family if something like that ever happened again. He never acted this defeated though."

Silence for a few seconds as Mitsuo stirred whatever was in the pot "Aburame-san was his lover wasn't he?" The question was unexpected. Hasunuma nodded "I wish he hadn't been. When Shura was first adopted into the Inuzuka clan Koishi-kun became his first friend. Buchou has told me that he doesn't remember much before coming here, just terror and a fervent wish to escape.

"Koishi-kun is one of the people he can remember being around since the very beginning. He's the only one that stayed around after Buchou's mother died. Everyone else dove into work or distanced themselves from him. He must feel so alone right now." Mitsuo jumped as a little timer beeped and then turned off the heat. He stirred whatever it was for a few more seconds before covering the pot and moving to the living room.

Hasunuma felt himself sigh as he caught sight of the other futon "So we're sleeping out here with him?" Mitsuo gave him a pleading look and Hasunuma flopped down on the couch "I suppose that's alright with me then. I just hope you don't mind me leaving you first in the morning, wouldn't want the poor guy to be more traumatized by me trying to ravish you."

Pink spread over Mitsuo's face. Before Hasunuma could cause him more embarrassment he went to his room and got a pair of pajamas. A knock on the bathroom door brought him permission to enter and he only squeaked a little at the sight of his old teammate lounging naked in a tub. It really was a magnificent thing, even with the blood matted hair.

"I, ano, I brought you some clothes Buchou. You're about the same size as me so they should fit you." The blush deepened and Shura noted with a detached interest that the scent of arousal had thickened as well. It was still overpowered by the scent of sex, but at least this was more common for his poor nose.

Sighing as he drained the tub for the second time, Shura reached behind himself and began to twist his hair. "Could you please dig a black cloth and large red bandanna out of my pants Mitsuo-chan? Just leave them on the sink there, thank you." A flustered Mitsuo was fun, but he didn't want to cause any more stress than he already had.

The blond soon retreated from the bathroom to go back to Hasunuma. The elder man grinned slightly as he saw the red face of his lover "Quite the sight, ne?" Mitsuo's blush deepened and Hasunuma tugged him down to sit on his lap. "Don't worry, Shura's always been an object of lust for anyone who sees him naked. I've been to the bath house with him before and even the straight guys there had trouble keeping their eyes off of him."

This did little to ease poor Mitsuo and his blood pressure wasn't at all helped as Shura came out with his hair trapped in the red bandanna and the black cloth tied over his nose and mouth. Hasunuma seemed to tense up under him "I completely forgot." The words were breathed in absolute mortification. Mitsuo turned curious eyes on his stricken lover "Shurachi can smell everything we've done since this morning in here!"

Shura quirked a small grin behind his cloth "Actually Hasunuma-kun, I can smell everything you two have done since last week. You really do have a lot of stamina to be doing that so many times a day." Mitsuo groaned, hiding his face in Hasunuma's neck.

That night Shura had nightmares. It wasn't anything new as he'd always had nightmares, but this time it wasn't people he didn't know being slaughtered or people long dead crying out for help. No, this time Koishi stared at him angrily from the ground, a gash in his neck. Nothing was said, but the accusing glare was all that was needed for silent tears to soak Shura's pillow.

He didn't really thrash in his nightmares anymore so none knew of the horrible night he'd had. Doku didn't count as the dog had always known about his terrible dreams. The remainder of his mission time was spent hiding from the world in Mitsuo's apartment. The only time he left was to hand over the scroll he'd been sent to retrieve and to give his mission report.

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ZOMG!!! -cries- Okay, I have to say this now. There are several people who review regularly and I'm grateful for every one of them. They keep me interested in posting this, but it would be nice if others would let me know. I accept anonymous reviews and if you leave a means of contacting you I'll reply to them. Even if it is just to say thanks for reading.

REVIEW!!

Taku


	13. Chapter 13

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** I was just walking down the street when, out of nowhere, all these lawyers come rushing me with legal documents! They were frothing at the mouth and exclaiming that I was stepping all over someone's copyrights!! I told them I'd put up a proper disclaimer and they were all "Not another one! We're going out of business!"

**Note::** Well, for those of you who are wondering why it took so long, it's because I had to revise some things in this chapter. Also, your get a post on the one-shots as well for the holiday. I won't usually do this, but you guys deserve it!! Also, NARUTO!! -squee-

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When he walked through the door of his own home several days later, Shurachi was quite the sight to behold. His usually meticulous hair was dull and slightly tangled, his clothing was rumpled from not being changed, and he had bags the size of Kyuubi under his eyes. It was the first time Kiba had ever seen his 'mother' looking so unkempt without a visit from Koishi-nii preceding it and he was worried.

"Kaa-san…?" His voice was timid, laced with his concern. Shura lifted dull green eyes to look at him and attempted to smile.

It came out more of a grimace as he handed his bag off to Doku, who climbed the stairs to put it away. "Hey runt, you were good for Abur…Hajime-kun right? Didn't get Shino into to much trouble did you?" He seemed to deflate a little more.

Kiba crept forward silently until he was within hugging distance and wrapped his arms around his 'mother.' "I was good, I love you Kaa-san." Tears sprang to Shura's eyes at the quiet words and he fell to his knees to hug his brother as tightly as was safe.

"I l-love you too, Kiba-pup." The brothers stood in the hall; one silently crying, the other offering as much comfort as he could, for several long minutes before Kiba crawled into bed with his 'mother'.

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The next day Kiba somehow managed to convince Shurachi to take him out for lunch. He told Shino, quite sorrowfully, that he didn't think his mother would be up for a visit from the other boy and promised to update him on the older Inuzuka's condition as soon as he could.

So both of them settled on seats at Ichiraku's and ordered their customary Ramen, Shurachi's extra spicy to help make him feel better. "Kaa-san? Ano…are you okay?" Kiba's 'mother' still looked miserable, though he was obviously trying to cheer up for his pup.

"Don't worry about me pup, I'll be okay." Sad green eyes crinkled a little in a pathetic smile. He really wished he could just follow Koishi into death, but his puppy needed him. Their father wasn't in enough touch with the family now to take care of him and as much as he loved her, their sister was kind of hopeless with children.

A familiar orange blur made him stiffen a little before relaxing again. The little kitsune child was sniffing curiously at the stand, obviously hungry if the way he was gripping his stomach was anything to go by. It reminded Shura vaguely of something he knew he shouldn't forget, but caused him more pain than he was willing to deal with at the moment. So, he stopped trying to figure out why the scene was familiar to him and instead ordered an extra miso ramen and set it at the empty seat on his other side.

"Come on in little kit, we've been waiting for you." Shura called just loud enough for the orange blur to hear. It moved into view of his glasses and sharpened into a small, blond child. He fidgeted awkwardly before scrambling onto the stool and snatching up the chop sticks.

Kiba immediately perked up at the slightly less weary expression on his mother's face and flashed a small grin at the small boy on the other side of Shurachi. "Can I have more Kaa-san?" He held up his empty bowl and grinned widely, feeling happiness bubble in his chest at the ghost of a grin on his mother's face.

His bowl was filled twice more before he was entirely full, though the blond kid was still going strong after five bowls of his own. Shurachi was slowly making his way through his own second bowl, having felt a little hungrier than he had since-well, in a while. Finally, when the blond was blinking sleepily at his empty bowl, Shura sucked up his last noodle and handed over the money.

He glanced with a small chuckle at the pair of droopy boys on either side of him. "Would you put anything he orders on my tab from now on?" He motioned toward the surprised, but still tired, blond and the old man nodded with a warm smile. "Arigatou gozaimasu Oyaji-san."

Shura scooped Kiba up, glad they'd left the dogs at home, then reached down with his other arm and scooped the blond boy up as well. It took him a while to sniff out the dingy, dirty, and disgusting apartment the child lived in and when he did he made sure to memorize the address. He'd be visiting it soon enough with a genin team and some cleaning supplies.

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It had been a few weeks since Koishi's death and Shura was doing as well as to be expected. He was waiting in a large arena with a handful of other chûnin for the Hokage to finish talking and explain how they were going to be chosen for jyônin status.

When he finally did there was a bit of nervous shuffling, but no obvious discomfort. The chûnin would be paired against a jyônin and they would fight until one person was unable to. Death and unconsciousness were the only acceptable reasons for the fight to end.

Just as in the chûnin exams, a large board shuffled through names until it stopped to reveal who would be fighting against who. Several matches went by, each spectacular in their own way, until Shurachi's own name was chosen. He was up against someone named Anko.

Hajime groaned from his place beside several other Aburame jyônin. This exam was only open to those ranked jyônin and above in Konoha and he had left Shino with Kiba at the Inuzuka compound before coming to watch.

He eyed Shura from behind his sunglasses, red eyes a shade darker than Koishi's had been, and hoped that Anko didn't kill his friend. As the battle began, Hajime started up a running commentary in his mind for Koishi's benefit. Hopefully his brother could hear what was going on if he couldn't watch it.

The pair eyed each other across the expansive battle field. Shura knew nothing of his opponent and so he waited for her to make the first move. To his relief, she did. Anko bit her thumb, dragged it down her arm, and slammed her hand into the ground. Smoke began to fill her side of the arena immediately afterwards letting Shura know exactly what she'd done.

Hurriedly biting his own thumb, Shura wiped it over his left cheek and symbols glowed briefly before he slammed his own hand down. When the smoke cleared a giant panther and serpent were revealed. Both shinobi stood atop their summons heads, Doku on Shura's back, and faced each other.

"_It's about time you summoned me for something more useful than missing nin! I was beginning to get annoyed._" Shura smiled sheepishly, forgetting that the creature couldn't see it.

"Sorry, but I promise you we'll go hunting together any time you wish if you win." The panther purred and the rumbling was enough to shake the stadium.

Across from them the snake reared and then charged. Obviously whatever it had been promised was sufficient for it to obey Anko. "_Sssss. You will fall little cat! I will feast upon your flesssssh!_" Harry wrinkled his nose at the thought and held tight to the fur beneath his fingers as the feline leaped.

Thick coils wrapped around the large cat as it's own fangs and claws sunk deeply into serpentine flesh. Harry's eyes rose to clash with Anko's while the two beasts were forced to halt and try overpowering each other. "Doku." His whisper was quiet, but the dog understood and climbed off of his humans back.

He began to race along the coils, jumping where needed, heading straight for Anko. She didn't have time to prepare her defense, no matter that the attack was as obvious as daylight. As soon as she began to gather her chakra for a jutsu kikai were on her. Her entire body was covered within seconds and she screamed shrilly.

Harry was breathing heavily as he tried to adjust to the sudden pain all of his kikai leaving his body had caused him. The young ones that were still unable to fly tried to ease the pain, but it wasn't really enough to dull the ache. Koishi had wanted him to reveal his kikai at the jyônin exams.

Once he took those exams, no matter if he passed, no one could force him to attempt giving them up. No one could lawfully attack him because of the kikai either. A pouf and the coughing caused by the smoke of a summons vanishing let Shura know he'd won the match. The panther under him rumbled that he'd better remember his promise before leaving as well.

Arashi cleared his throat "Winner, jyônin Inuzuka Shurachi. Next pair!" Just as the other winners had received, polite clapping echoed around the stadium. Shura glanced at the space that the Inuzuka clan was taking up and was only mildly disappointed that his father hadn't shown up to watch his match.

His uncle, Kunimitsu, smiled encouragingly at him and Shura jumped onto the second level reserved for the shinobi watching the matches. He made a beeline for Hajime, who was probably the only Aburame he trusted not to attack him at that moment. The older males arms encircled him protectively.

"Now we know where Koishi's kikai went, eh?" Hajime murmured in his ear and tightened his hold as Shura stiffened.

The older Aburame men encircled them and Koishi's father cleared his throat. "You will come with us to the Aburame compound immediately Inuzuka-san." Doku growled and Shura absently scratched behind his ears. "The _dog_ cannot come."

Green eyes flashed at the obvious insult, but Shura quietly told Doku to go home and protect Kiba. Just in case someone tried to retaliate against him with his pup.

They arrived as the sun was going down and Shura was made to wait in the main square. Unlike the Uchiha once were, the Aburame didn't have a huge clan. Theirs tended to survive well into old age and so they didn't have as many children as they possibly could. On top of that, all Aburame were shinobi, no civilians.

As such, they didn't have an entire minivillage. Instead they got by with a few streets that all led into the ceremonial square that all children were given their first kikai in. Aburame Kai, Koishi's father, stepped out of the gathering crowd carrying a circular gourd. Shura closed his eyes as he remembered who's gourd it was. He'd only ever seen it when in Koishi's room, but it still brought back a flood of painful memories.

"Inuzuka Shurachi. You have proven to hold the main weapon of the Aburame clan after the death of your lover and my son. Do you deny this?" Shura pressed his lips firmly together. "Is it true that you received the kikai housed within Aburame Koishi's body upon his death?"

This time he turned his face away and wondered why he had bothered to reveal himself. They were going to make him give up the only tangible proof of Koishi's love that he had. The only thing linking him undeniably to his dead lover. "Yes? Then we, the Aburame clan, present you with the late Aburame Koishi's gourd in order to help you house so many kikai."

Red eyes, while not warm in the least, sparkled kindly at Shura. "He loved you enough that his kikai ignored a blood relation in order to remain with you. Our only request is that you do not shame our clan in your use of the kikai." Shurachi took the gourd with trembling fingers and swung it onto his back.

It settled easily in the hollow of his lower back and Shura could feel kikai leaving his body to fill it. His vision blurred with tears, Shura didn't bother to try anything more than a stiff bow before fleeing the compound. He could hear the quiet steps of someone following him, but he didn't care to see who it was.

He climbed directly into his room, dropped the gourd on the floor, and gasped to try and forcefully hold back the tears. He heard someone knock on the door, listened to his brothers enthusiastic greeting, then tried to block out the quiet footsteps coming up the stairs.

They continued closer and closer until his door was opened and two small pairs of arms were wrapped around his hunched form. "Kaa-san? Shino-kun told me…"

Shurachi clenched his eyes tighter "Shurachi-oba…Koishi-oji was really happy with you." Shino paused as Shura's arms wrapped around both he and Kiba. "He wouldn't have wanted you to be so sad and I think he would have preferred you to have his gourd, even if you hadn't had kikai."

"Thanks Shino-chan, Kiba-pup." He gave the pair a watery smile. "I think I needed to hear that. Now, who's hungry? I promised stake if I made it into the ranks of the jyônin so you're welcome to stay Shino." Both boys seemed to sense that Shura needed it to be normal again and eyed each other.

"Last one down the stairs-" Kiba started.

"-is an Iwa genin!" Shino finished. Shurachi laughed at the saying the pair had picked up from Hajime and Shurachi's bickering when he'd tried teaching the other to cook. The attempt had failed, naturally, but he didn't mind having the Aburame pair over for dinner every chance they got.

As he followed the still shouting boys, Kiba was shouting but he could hear Shino's less loud protests to the teasing, down the stairs Shurachi smiled. For the first time since Koishi's death he thought that maybe, just maybe, everything would be alright again.

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Review or I'll cry in a corner and such. Also, yes, the feline is a bit of irony poking out the hole. You'll get to see how he got it later.

Taku


	14. Chapter 14

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** Ah yes, the inevitable bane of a fanfiction writers fanfiction. The disclaimer. Because we all know that I own the world and all its literary genius.

**Note::** I've had several questions about Harry understanding the snake. Summons speak English, or in this case Japanese, and so all the shinobi could understand what it was saying. Now when he gets to hogwarts and a basilisk just so happens to be wandering around...well, then he's a tad surprised. Also, for those of you complaining that this isn't really a Harry Potter fic, Harry makes his first contact with wizards next chapter. There will also be better explanations for seemingly random events after he goes makes concrete contact with the wizarding world.

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Quietly humming to himself as he was dragged around the street by Kiba, Shino following the others lead, Shura couldn't help but feel glad Hajime had made him take a vacation. Well, it was more like he'd suggested it to the Hokage who had then suspended him and said not to come back until he'd visited some of the festivals in Water Country.

Hajime had offered to ask for time off and come with him, but Shura assured him he could handle Kiba and Shino on his own. So they were enjoying a civilian festival with traditional kimono's, no hitai-ate, and a minimum of weapons.

Kiba had, much to Shura's exasperation, picked out their kimono's so that his 'mother' actually looked the part of a girl. Light pink embroidery formed fluttering sakura blossoms on a pale green silk while the sash he was using to keep it shut was a deep purple. Just enough to preserve his manly dignity, but not enough to keep his gender out of question.

Kiba's own was blue with green leaf imprints and Shino's matched his only with reverse colors. Both of them wore dark red sash's. Shura had let his hair down for the evening, so he didn't catch sight of the pair walking towards them until the feeling of suppressed chakra alerted him to their presence.

Green eyes immediately rose to lock with sharp brown. The flare of chakra from both males was enough to catch the attention of Shino's kikai, and consequently Shino himself, as well as the boy walking at Zabuza's side. All of them stopped in the middle of the street, but most people were drunk enough not to notice.

Silently, the two older males sized each other up before Shura glanced down at the boy. He appeared to be getting over malnutrition and he was gripping Zabuza's hand rather firmly. Shura blinked as he realized that the child wasn't much younger than himself, maybe three years or so.

The Inuzuka dipped his head just a little, an acknowledgment of the other shinobi. Zabuza nodded slightly as well and both groups continued to wherever they'd wanted to go before.

Shura spent the rest of the night trying to catch fish with a paper net, cheering his brother and Shino on as they grappled with several other boys their age in a mini fighting tournament, and dancing with one boy on each of his hips.

Several people wondered how 'such a delicate flower' could hold up each boy with only one arm and still manage to dance so gracefully, but Shino, surprisingly, set them straight with a kick to the shins whenever one of them came to bother the 'beautiful petal' about it. Shura, while scolding him for every kick, couldn't help his quiet laughter.

None of them paid attention to the feeling of being watched as there were probably a dozen people doing so. This meant that the curious Haku and the wary Zabuza didn't have to work particularly hard to hide themselves from the happy family.

When they finally made their way back to the hotel room they were sharing, Shura noticed the faint chakra signature following them. He tucked the boys into their futons, kissed each on the forehead, then jumped out the window to lead the two pursuers into the trees. He didn't want either of his pups mixed up in a fight.

He stopped in a clearing that reminded a little of his own clearing, the one he'd trained in with Koishi. The delicate flowers that had never been in his clearing chased away the painful twinge and he turned to face the two shinobi who had also stopped. Green eyes sized up the pair before flickering around to make sure nothing was going to ambush him.

"Are you a missing nin?" His observations were cut short by the curious question and Shura turned surprised eyes on Haku.

A small smile beginning to curve his lips, Shura shook his head. "I'm not a missing nin, I'm just on vacation with my pups."

Brown eyes seemed to sharpen "So you're an Inuzuka?" Shura tensed and suppressed the growl that wanted to bubble out of his throat. He should have remembered that these people didn't think of their children as puppies like his clan did! Zabuza smirked "You are."

Shurachi's eyes strayed to Haku and trailed over the boy. He was wearing a pink kimono that made him seem like a little girl. It wasn't a bad look on him and Shura mentally scolded himself for thinking such things about a pup.

A pretty blush rose in Haku's cheeks at the attention. He couldn't stop his own eyes from trailing over Shurachi's own feminine figure and a brief jealousy flashed through him. No matter how useful it was for people to think he was a girl, he still wished he looked a little more manly sometimes.

While Shura was very girlish and pulled off the look well enough to fool people during a festival, it was very obvious he was male once you got a good look at him. "Who are you? I'm Haku and you already seem to know Zabuza-san."

"Inuzuka Shurachi. Why did you follow us?"

Zabuza answered while Haku searched his memory for everything he knew about the Inuzuka clan. "I was curious about why you weren't at your village. It's obvious from the triangles on your cheeks that you were from Konoha. I just couldn't remember what clan had those until you mentioned pups."

Shura growled quietly and Zabuza pulled his hands up to show his open, empty, palms. "We aren't here to cause trouble. Haku wanted to visit a festival, so we came. Now, why are you here?"

The Inuzuka lowered his lip, though it wasn't enough to cover his fang entirely. "I'm off duty until I've relaxed enough for Hokage-sama to allow me back on missions. Who's the pup?" Haku perked up at the question about himself and Zabuza relaxed just the slightest bit. If the Inuzuka held anything as precious, it was 'pups', they were safe so long as he continued to think of Haku as such.

Taking a step forward, Haku smiled shyly. "I'm Haku. Are you really an Inuzuka? Don't they use dogs as weapons? Where's yours?" Shurachi blinked at the barely contained excitement before quirking a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm really an Inuzuka, we partner with dogs to fight, not use them as weapons, and Doku is guarding my pups while I speak with you. Maybe you can meet him next time." Zabuza hid his smirk at the casual agreement to see them again.

Green eyes glanced out at the full moon slowly being hidden by the lightening sky. "I have to go so they don't wake up alone." He turned to face Zabuza and narrowed his eyes. "Don't cause any trouble and I won't have a reason to have ever even seen you here Momochi." He walked passed the pair, paused long enough to smile at Haku, then launched himself into the trees.

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You guys don't review anymore! It makes me wonder if you don't like my story or something. -worries- You should though, because I have writers block and we are fastly coming up on the part that has me stuck and we all know that when a writer gets block they're reluctant to post chapters when no one is really reading them. -pulls at hair- WHAT AM I GONNA DO?!?!?! I CAN'T ABANDON IT CAUSE I'LL GO CRAZY, BUT NO ONE IS READING IT!! WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

Taku


	15. Chapter 15

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** Ah yes, the inevitable bane of a fanfiction writers fanfiction. The disclaimer. Because we all know that I own the world and all its literary genius.

**Note::** Well there is his first taste of the wizarding world. Check out my profile for some story ideas I want YOU guys to write! They're pretty odd because I've never seen anything like them, but I don't want to start something that might take away from my writing this!! Check out the bottom for a sneak peek at the next chapter!!

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Two days later the three from Konoha were setting up camp on their way back to Konoha. Shura had received a message bird that let him know he was allowed to return and resume taking missions. They'd just lit a fire when Doku's head lifted off his paws, Akamaru was sleeping, and turned to stare into the foliage to their right.

Kiba noticed the dogs soft growling first and brought it to his mothers attention. Shurachi abandoned the fire, told Kiba firmly that he was not to play with it, left Shino in charge, and slipped into the forest.

"Show me where it is Doku." The dog quietly barked an affirmative and began to lead them through the trees. About ten minutes from camp a small trail of blood became apparent and Shura could pick up the scent on his own.

They sped up, quickly following the more and more visible path of blood to a quiet brook. The bubbling water did little to mask the scent and sound of the injured man laying beside it. He had a strong scent of wolves about him that made Shura relax even as he approached. If this man was taken down by measly wolves then he wasn't a shinobi.

He crouched and carefully rolled the man over to get a look at the scarred face. "Are you okay?" The man groaned and opened his eyes only to shut them quickly. Obviously the light pained him.

["Hurts…") Shura frowned at the foreign word and tried to remember where he'd heard it before. ["Help me, please…" )Ah! That's where he'd heard it! Back before he'd arrived in Konoha he'd spoken the same language!

Screwing up his face and ignoring the naked state of the man Shura attempted to speak. ["Who you, okay?")

The man tried opening his eyes again with the same results. ["No move. Still hold.") He smiled when the man managed to nod a little and began to pull bandages out of his weapon pouch. A little water on his ripped shirt cleaned up the blood as well as he could and years of ignoring pained noises allowed him to wrap the worst of the mans injuries.

["Can walk you?" )The man croaked out something that vaguely sounded like denial so Shura squatted and lifted him easily in a bridal style hold. ["Safe I take. Soon there." )The trek through the woods was quick with the aid of chakra, but jarring enough that the man was whimpering with every step.

"Kaa-san? Who's that, how did he get so injured?" The alarmed question brought Shino out of their tent. As soon as he got a glimpse of the man's bloodied frame, however, he went back inside to retrieve the first aid kit.

He brought it over to Shurachi quietly before turning towards Kiba. "Kiba-kun, could you get the pot of water off the fire? Shurachi-oba will need clean water to wash off the blood."

"Thank you Shino-chan. Just put the pot over here Kiba-pup." The man groaned and green eyes focused sharply on him again.

It took nearly half an hour, but they managed to get him cleaned and bandaged well enough that there wasn't any danger of him dying. They settled the camp for the night, doused the fire with the bloody water, and set a schedule between Doku and Shurachi for watch duty.

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They were only an hours run from Konoha when the stranger began to wake again. His tensing body alerted Shura immediately, seeing as he was carrying the dead weight. "Doku, ground!" The dog barked and the two children on his back gripped his fur tightly as they fell from the trees to the ground.

Shura landed next to them and laid his bundle out on the grass. The man groaned quietly; to the Inuzuka it was a rather loud noise. Golden eyes flickered open, glanced around, then closed again as another low moan rippled out of the man.

"Kiba-pup, Shino-kun. I want you to get the attention of the Anbu patrol. They should be passing near here in a few seconds and I can't send up a proper noise while taking care of him." Shura motioned to the injured man who was beginning to move around a little. "Doku will be going with you."

The dog barked his agreement and Akamaru yipped in an attempt to imitate the deep sound. Shura spared the puppy a small smile before sending a strangely silent Kiba into the surrounding trees. Shino nodded and gave Shura a meaningful stare "Be safe Shurachi-oba. Otoosama would be angry if he had to take care of Kiba because you got hurt."

Green eyes watched after the Aburame "Sure Shino-chan, I'll be careful. Now for you, Nanashi-san. I don't know how you managed to get attacked by wolves, the ones in that area are usually to afraid of humans to come anywhere near them. I suppose they might have been hungry, but there isn't really a shortage of prey."

Careful fingers prodded at the bandaged wounds and the man swatted at his hand. ["No..nnngg…hurts…M'okay Poppy." )The man took a ragged breath and slowly opened his eyes again. Immediately his brow creased in confusion and the fevered haze that clouded the brilliant gold cleared a little.

["Where am I? Wh-who are you? Ahhg!" )Shura quickly pushed the man onto his back again. The Inuzuka's own brow creased in deep concentration as he attempted to figure out what the man was asking.

He was so engrossed in his attempt at translation that he didn't even react when the four Anbu team appeared with his pups and dog in tow. "Konoha [where be. Still blood, pain good never. )Inuzuka Shurachi [Who?" )Green eyes finally flickered up to regard the hawk masked Anbu leader and his team.

Nobody spoke though, waiting for the man to answer the questions. ["I'm Remus Lupin, or would it be Lupin Remus? Where is Konoha? Fire Country?) Arigayto gozimus Inusuka-san." Shura blinked and tried not to grimace at the horrible butchery of his language. At least the guy was trying, much like Shura was. The Inuzuka had no doubts he was ruining the grammar and probably pronunciation of his own attempts.

"Ano, 'Kaa-san? What's he saying? Who is he?" Kiba's voice drew the golden eyes and Shura tensed as they widened in alarm. Shino, sensing what the problem was, moved to hide Kiba a little. He needn't have bothered as Doku jumped to cover both children from sight.

Shura didn't relax, but it was obvious he wasn't as worried with the dog in between the stranger and his pups. "His name is Lupin Remus and he wants to know where he is. I told him. Anbu-san? Is he going to be taken to the village for interrogation and medical attention? I did my best, but I'm not a medic-nin and I'm certainly not in any mood to be interrogating someone."

The leader of the Anbu team, wearing a hawk mask, stepped forward and carefully picked the protesting Remus up. "Yes. Thank you for contacting us so quickly Inuzuka-san." With that the Anbu were racing through the trees, heading back tot the village. Shura watched them go with an uneasy feeling in his stomach before he ordered Kiba onto Doku and picked Shino up himself to arrive at the village an hour after the Anbu.

A week later Shura was summoned to Hokage Tower. He'd heard that was where the man he'd found ended up and was wondering if his summons had anything to do with that. It couldn't be because of his health and he couldn't be in trouble so soon after returning so it had to be the strange man.

When he got to the Hokage's office the pair of Anbu guarding the door nodded at him and he entered. Sure enough the man was sitting in a chair across from the Hokage. He still smelled of wolves, but the scent was muted somehow. "You wished to see me Hokage-sama?" The fourteen year old kept his face neutral.

Sandaime Hokage, or Sarutobe, smiled a little forcedly. "Yes Inuzuka-san, Lupin-san wished to thank you and asked specifically for you to go on a mission for him. He offered to pay the price for a long term S-Ranked mission if you accept." Shurachi blinked and eyed the fidgeting man in the chair.

"I apologize Sandaime-sama, Lupin-san, but my younger brother is not yet old enough to care for himself. I could not leave him for the length of time it takes for a mission to be classed as long term." He steadfastly ignored the almost desperate expression on the mans face. "If that was all Hokage-sama?"

He turned to leave at the nod from his superior, but a choked "Wait!" made him pause. "Harry! You can't stay here, you have to come with me!" Cold green eyes turned on Remus and the werewolf flinched away from the boy.

"I can and will stay here, if you wish to hire me for a long term mission wait until my younger brother is old enough to care for himself. Also, Lupin-san, do not presume to use such a hated name. That was the name the fat man used when he told me all about how terrible I was. My name is Inuzuka Shurachi, Alpha of the Inuzuka Clan, and you will remember that."

Green eyes stared intently into gold until the gold turned away and the man tilted his head ever so slightly. Shura was surprised at the canine gesture coming from an outsider, but he accepted it by relaxing just a little. When the man saw that he perked up "When do you think that will be? I can wait for you here, if Hokage-sama doesn't mind."

Sarutobe shook his head to show he didn't mind Remus staying. "Four years. He should graduate from the Academy by then and I won't have to worry about him as much. My clan won't be able to stop him from staying with Aburame-kun then either."

The man relaxed and smiled winningly at Shura. Uninterested green eyes turned away from the werewolf. "If I may be excused Hokage-sama? I left Hajime in the kitchen and-" Sarutobe shot up with a panicked look on his face.

"Hurry Inuzuka-san!! If he's there much longer he might-!" A loud boom echoed through the village, startling people into dropping things and causing the Shinobi to glance around for a place to hide themselves. They all recognized the sound as Inuzuka Shurachi's personal call to anger.

Unfortunately for Hajime, his own son knew better than to get in the way of Shurachi-oba when that sound happened. "ABURAME HAJIME!!!!" Remus was left sitting in his chair with a confused frown on his face. A glance at the laughing Hokage didn't help with his confusion at all.

"Um, this might be a stupid question, but what just happened?" He asked, trying not to think about how quickly Harry-no it was Shurachi now- had managed to vacate the room.

Laughing old eyes twinkled up at him "Aburame Hajime, Shino's father, has a reputation for being the worst cook in Konoha. He eats at other peoples houses, restaurants, and his mothers house most of the time. Sometimes he manages to get Shurachi to cook for him and otherwise he's not allowed in the kitchen. There must have been something dangerous cooking, else he would have been tied up in his living room."

"He's probably managed to blow up another kitchen." Remus' eyes widened and Sarutobe broke into loud laughter again.

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I little bit of silliness to kill some of the angst!!! Please review!!!

"

It wasn't that he was into little boys, he wasn't creepy like Kabuto, but there was something about the way that small body was swaying. It made him want to protect the other, hold him until he felt safe. The feeling was kind of like how he'd felt for the little Kyuubi vessel, so maybe he just had a thing for being kind to orphans?

"

Taku


	16. Chapter 16

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** Well I challenged a chap from Japan to a break dancing contest and got broke. I then challenge a chick to a drinking contest and ended up under the table while she laughed at me. So now I'm broke, vomiting, and have nothing but last nights dinner to show for it!!

**Note::** SORRY THIS IS LATE, though I don't really set an update deadline for myself. I'm seriously spazzing out right now though guys, Siriusly. This is the last completed chapter, ignore the blatant rape of cannon in it please, and you all have Lyn908 to thank for it and the stuff that's coming up after it as she viciously spat me out of my funk.

I'm kind of nervous about this chapter, so let me know how bad it was. Almost forgot...IF ANY ARTISTS OUT THERE WANT TO DRAW PICTURES FOR THIS STORY, I'D BE DELIGHTED TO SEE THEM!! -can't draw worth noodles-

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Shurachi watched silently as the small body danced inside of a mirrored dome. He could tell this was a new technique by the way a mirror would waver and the boy would stop to reinforce it before continuing. It wasn't any good as an attack, not until he could hold the mirrors without having to think about it.

He hadn't meant to get sidetracked by Zabuza's little shadow, probably shouldn't have let the small body captivate him the way it had. It made him feel kind of like a pedophile really, but at least the boy was older than his cubs.

It wasn't that he was into little boys, he wasn't creepy like Kabuto, but there was something about the way that small body was swaying. It made him want to protect the other, hold him until he felt safe. The feeling was kind of like how he'd felt for the little Kyuubi vessel, so maybe he just had a thing for being kind to orphans?

But he didn't know if the other was an orphan and besides Haku had Momochi! Aside from that Shurachi had a scroll to bring to his Hokage and Doku was already shifting from side to side anxiously. He'd smelled something, but Shura wasn't to worried as the other shinobi hadn't yet attacked him.

"Amazing isn't he?" The barest hint of warm breath leaked through bandages and trickled over Shura's throat; he didn't even flinch. "Why are you here Inuzuka? Surely you don't have a mission to capture us, Kirigakure isn't exactly known for it's friendliness with Konoha."

Doku whined quietly, leading Shura's hand to pet him on the head in a calming manner. "I was simply passing through and noticed the excited chakra. I wanted to make sure it wasn't a threat to Doku or I. After I saw it was just your pup, I got curious."

Shurachi was sure there was a smirk behind the bandages, but Zabuza moved to crouch beside him rather than attack, so he relaxed a little. "I thought you were an Inuzuka, not a Nekozuka." The dog user snorted in return and resumed petting Doku slowly. "Is this your partner? The one you said Haku could meet next time around?"

"Hmmm. Yes, this is Doku. I didn't think you'd want us interrupting his training though." A sideways glance proved that Zabuza was inordinately amused by the whole thing. "Am I to assume you do?"

Zabuza grinned wide enough that it could be seen through his bandages. "It's all Haku has been able to talk about when we aren't speaking of his training. I think he could do with a bit of a break anyway, he's been at it since last night." The nuke-nin let his eyes trail over the obviously tired form of his little shadow.

The didn't stay hidden for long though, as Shura was already moving from his spot in the foliage. Zabuza saw Haku pause for a second, before his entire face lit up and the mirrors melted into muddy puddles. "Inuzuka-san! Is this your dog? What's it's name? Can I pet him?"

Smile slowly curling his lips, Shura motioned for Haku to pet the large dog. "His name is Doku and he'd probably love for you to pet him." Green eyes softened while Haku dragged his hand down Doku's back.

Suddenly, Haku straightened "I almost forgot! On our last mission Zabuza-sama found something he thought you might be interested in." Without giving Shura any time to respond he was disappearing into the trees.

Zabuza wandered into the clearing slowly. "He's been itching to give the damn thing to you for nearly a week. You're lucky I didn't just kill it." Shura glanced at Zabuza briefly before sound in the foliage drew his attention. Haku stumbled into the clearing with a paw pressed into his face, a pair of gums was lodged on an arm, and a tail was smacking a thigh repeatedly.

Green eyes widened impossibly large and a startled gasp escaped Shurachi. "Where did you find this? They're so rare, I haven't been able to get a hold of one even with the Inuzuka connections!" Gentle hands carefully removed the three headed puppy from Haku's arms and inspected the mouth of all three heads to be sure there weren't any teeth yet. "You're lucky the teeth haven't grown in yet, else you could have been poisoned."

He frowned worriedly at the younger shinobi but didn't mention anything else about how dangerous it was to have kept the Cerberus puppy. Instead he checked Haku over as carefully as he'd checked the puppy, ignoring the small twinge of something in his belly at the feel of the smooth flesh under his fingers.

"I didn't want them to kill him when I knew you could take care of him Inuzuka-san, Zabuza-sama said we could take him and give him over to you when we ran into you again." Haku seemed a little put out that he'd been reprimanded for letting the puppy bite him, but he perked up as smooth fingers glided over his face, arm, torso, and thighs.

Doku yipped quietly and Shurachi put the puppy down in front of him for inspection. Apparently the little Cerberus met his standards because he licked the middle heads snout and sat back down. "I can't stay long, but thank you for saving the Cerberus Haku, Zabuza. Such creatures are so rare that even killing one would be a blow to the population."

Long braids fell over Shura's shoulders as he bowed to the pair and scooped the puppy up. He was getting ready to spring into the trees when a hand caught his shirt. "Ano, Inuzuka-san? Will we see you again?" Haku appeared very hopeful and Shurachi couldn't find it in himself to say no so instead he smirked a little and took off into the trees. Let the boy take it how he wished.

Several weeks later, as summer was crisping into fall, Shurachi grunted as a dog landed heavily on his chest, waking him from the fitful dreams he'd been stuck in. "Shurachi-sama, there is a meeting of clan heads being called. Kunimitsu-sama sent me to get you." One green eye peered up at the fidgeting teen above him. The boy was at least two years older than himself, but he seemed very concerned that Shura would attack him at any minute.

Instead of answering right away, the younger boy rolled out of his futon and snatched up a pair of slim glasses. His hair was quickly combed into a high tail, one long braid replacing his usual dozens, and the official Inuzuka clan robes were pulled on over more practical shinobi gear.

"Has the rest of the pack assembled? The pups all taken care of?" The teen relaxed a little at the commanding voice and nodded. "No one is to go near the far dog run, especially not the pups, and I want Kunimitsu, Jiruo, and Mikaro to meet me outside of the Clan Heads building. As for any Aburame who drop by, no one is to attack them. Let them wait for me in the front room, keep the pups away from them, but allow Kiba through if Shino shows up. I will not deal with a rivalry today."

Another nod and Shura was sweeping passed the teen, down the stairs, and into a throng of Inuzuka. He stalked through them, baring his fangs at the males who dared stand in his way until they tilted their heads back and relented to his authority. When he came upon his father he paused, sharp fangs flashing and fingers curling into claws.

Momo stood tense, his own fingers curling and upper lip pulling back before dropping again only to repeat the process. It was almost as if he couldn't decide whether he was going to challenge his adopted son for leadership or not. Kunimitsu and Jiruo appeared behind him, their scent overpowering the other members of his family in his nose.

It was their silent backing of him that made his father finally back down, and with one last glance at the man he hadn't seen in over three months, Shura left the Inuzuka compound. Along the way to the meeting Mikaro joined the trio running across the rooftops of Konoha.

Shurachi smirked a little, tilting his head enough that his voice wasn't stolen by the wind when he spoke. "I thought I wanted to meet you three at the Clan Head building, not on the way!" Doku, running along with the three other dogs, barked as if to convey this same message to the three canines running alongside him.

"Sorry Shurachi-sama, but it was quicker to just catch up with you. Less harassment this way! Besides, I needed to tell you something about the Uzumaki child you set me to watch!" Shura glanced over his shoulder mid jump and quickly looked forward again as his foot hit solid ground.

The quartet slowed to a stop outside a lavish looking building, all four of them wrinkling their nose at the stuffy air around it. "Well? What did you have to say that couldn't wait until after the meeting?"

Mikaro straightened her formal kimono and cleared her throat. "The clan heads are meeting because the entire Uchiha clan was murdered an hour ago by Uchiha Itachi. He left his little brother, Uchiha Sasuke, alive to presumably bring revenge for the clan as is the custom with such things. However, they also plan to discuss what to do with the Uzumaki child who carries Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Shurachi's eyes narrowed "What do you mean, what to do with him? I was under the impression that anything to do with the Uzumaki was under the Hokage's jurisdiction. He questioned me personally when he learned I had you and your brother trailing him around the village."

Mikaro seemed surprised the Hokage had caught them, but quickly shook it off. "I'm not sure what they plan to do and Yagumi hasn't managed to gather any information about it, but I thought you should be warned before going in there." She pointed at the building already filling with the heads of the various shinobi clans residing in Konoha.

Shurachi nodded before barking sharply at Doku in a command all Inuzuka recognized. Stay silent and do not draw attention. The four of them entered the building with their dogs close on their heals and took their customary seats near the middle on the opposite side of the doors. Several older lords sneered at them, not liking that a mere 14 year old from the outside led one of the oldest clans in Konoha. Quiet chatter rumbled around the hall, everyone doing their best to ignore the empty Uchiha seats, until the final members of Konohagakure's Clan Heads Council were seated.

It was the Nara clan head that cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention. His son shifted a bit uneasily at the attention before scowling off to the side. "I'm sure everyone is aware of the reason behind this gathering of the Clan Leaders of Konoha. If you weren't made aware of the situation however, I will inform you."

He glanced at the empty Uchiha seats before drawing in a deep breath. "The entire Uchiha clan has been wiped out by Uchiha Itachi save for his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke. As he is the last remaining legal heir to the Uchiha's Council seat the Hokage has given us the task of deciding where the child should go."

There was some rustling as people straightened, obviously thinking of the power they could gain by controlling the Uchiha Heir. Shurachi could feel his annoyance at the pompous men around him slowly simmering into a boil. It was Kunimitsu who spoke up for his Alpha's silent resentment of the older men around him though.

"Why don't we let the child decide for himself where he wishes to go? Would it not be better for the entire village if he doesn't resent our choice right after his entire clan was massacred? He could easily follow his brothers lead and leave the village if he has cause to dislike us so soon." The room seemed to still before loud arguments broke out between them.

The Nara representatives shot Kunimitsu, and then Shurachi, grateful looks. Shura steadfastly ignored the blush on the Nara Heir's cheeks while he returned the looks with a small nod and smirk. Obviously they weren't to keen on someone like the Hyuuga getting hold of the boy either.

Finally though, everyone's bickering was halted by, surprisingly, Hajime. "Why don't we just let him live on his own like so many other orphans? He can have a check from the village, just the same as any other orphan, until he makes genin. Then he'll live off of his pay check and the money he can access from the Uchiha vaults. It's what we decided for all other clans that had only one member left after Kyuubi."

There was some uncomfortable shifting before everyone, reluctantly, agreed. Shurachi was starting to get his hopes up for a short meeting when, not surprisingly, the head of the Hyuuga clan cleared his throat. "Speaking of Kyuubi…" He clearly wanted to shift uncomfortably, but he couldn't bring himself to show such a weakness.

"There have been numerous instances of concern involving the Kyuubi child. He has been involved with several fights, property damage, and threatening of civilians. It is the opinion of the Hyuuga clan and all branches thereof that the child be taken care of as quickly as possible. It can always be made to seem as though Itachi came back to kill him while all of this chaos is going on."

Almost immediately the four Inuzuka dogs were surrounding the Hyuuga representatives. Vicious growls, snarls, and snapping jaws were echoed uncannily by their human counter parts as Shurachi, Kunimitsu, Mikaro, and Jiruo all stood, sending their chairs crashing to the ground. "You will not touch that child while he is under my protection!" A harsh bark and shriek of pain heralded a kunai falling to the floor.

"You would dare attack a Hyuuga! Do you have any idea of the kind of enemy you're making here?!"

Shurachi curled his lip to show slowly lengthening fangs. "I will wipe out your entire clan if you even attempt to harm my Pack! Uzumaki Naruto is a pup of the Inuzuka Pack and you will all honor that or face my fangs!" He flashed said teeth pointedly before barking a sharp command at Doku, who echoed the command to the other three dogs.

"The Inuzuka Clan takes full responsibility for Uzumaki Naruto as a child of the Clan. If there are any objections to this, you can shove them up your ass!" He whirled and stormed from the room, not even noticing the dangerous wind that had kept everyone not in his clan stuck in their seats.

As he raced home, anger simmering barely below the surface, his pack mates were careful not to run beside or in front of him. With how angry he was they didn't want to risk doing anything that could be seen as a challenge to his Alpha position in the pack.

They reached the Inuzuka compound in under five minutes, which was surprising even for shinobi speed, and Shura immediately snarled. Shino was being held by two newly appointed chûnin in the courtyard while Kiba was being forcibly restrained in the front door. His angered aura expanded enough that everyone froze, acutely terrified of their alpha's retribution to his orders being ignored.

In no time at all Shurachi had Kiba and Shino asleep in his room, under Doku and Kunimitsu's guard, with the four people responsible and anyone with Kiba's teeth marks on them in the training room reserved for very bloody training sessions.

"Is there a reason my orders were ignored?" Shurachi growled, green eyes blazing with magic and chakra, wind whipping his hair and ceremonial robes around his body dangerously. The seven men and women all shrank back, desperately exposing their necks and making small whimpering noises.

He wasn't having any of that though, not after the direct disobedience they'd knowingly committed. With an angered snarl he shot forward and caught the first one by his exposed throat. "You will learn to follow my orders pups, or you will suffer."

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LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THOUGHT OF IT!! This chapter made me really nervous.

Taku


	17. Chapter 17

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** I donned my Hedwig backpack, pulled my hitai-ate over one eye, and tossed kunai at a pair of gods for an hour. They then took out some wands and Aveda Kedavera'd my ass until I gave up trying to steal their brilliant work. '(

**Note::** I AM BAAACK! -listens to chirping crickets- Sad. For those of you who want to draw anyone from this story, let me know and I'll send you a detailed description of how that character looks. It was brought to my attention that I don't really describe how the people around Shura look with bone structure and such, but that sort of thing interrupts the flow of a story to me.

ON A SIDE NOTE, IF YOU WANT TO SEE MY RESPONSE TO FLAMES READ THE BOTTOM NOTE!!

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When seven Inuzuka showed up in the hospital, claiming they'd gotten into an argument while drunk, no one really took note of it. Inuzuka were an instinctual clan of people, relying mostly on the basic feelings that could consume most people to make day to day decisions. It was worthy to note that somehow, all seven of them had bites from what appeared to be a toxic canine.

Since the only canine with venomous saliva was a cerberus the doctors were obviously concerned. They were assured, by the head of the clan no less, that the dog in question had been captured and taken care of.

Several weeks later Shurachi smiled indulgently as Kiba pulled him down the street, Shino equally trapped by the pups other hand and Naruto a little awkwardly walking slightly apart from, but still with, them. The three boys were going to be in Iruka's class together for the last three years of their academy training and Kiba had decided they were going to do some bonding.

Most of the attacks on Naruto had subsided after Shurachi had declared that he was under Inuzuka protection, but no one had told Naruto that he was now an unofficial member of the clan. Shura planned to keep things that way as Naruto was already a prime target for anyone who knew the Kyuubi was sealed inside of him. Adding on a clan name would just bring more enemies than protection right then.

He glanced over at Naruto, who was steadily drifting away with a sad little frown on his face. A particularly hard jerk on his hand by Kiba left him just enough time to laughingly grab Naruto's hand and drag the orange clad youth with them around a corner. The four of them were decked out for Konoha's annual "Death of Kyuubi" festival, the first one Naruto had ever attended, in decorative yukata.

This time Shurachi had picked out the clothing, not trusting Kiba to make him look man enough to intimidate anyone who dared attack Naruto. So Shura was decked out in a light brown haori with white, black, orange, and green dogs running around all over the fabric. A bright orange obi held it together while the under yukata was a deep red similar to the trademark Aburame eye color. In other words, he represented the little pups he had taken under his care.

Naruto was, as stated earlier, covered in orange entirely. Shura had managed to sneak a small yellow dog on the back of the yukata to match the bright yellow obi holding the fabric closed.

Shino and Kiba had managed to talk him into getting them the same designed yukata's again. So this time Shino had a light blue yukata with large bugs and dogs chasing each other in dark red embroidered on it with an orange obi to match Shurachi's while Kiba wore a deep red yukata with light blue dogs and bugs chasing each other. His obi was also orange.

All three of them were wearing geta, the little wooden sandals making it harder for Kiba to drag them around at high speeds. This was just as well for Shurachi, as, not even two second after turning the corner, he bumped into someone. If they'd been going any faster the person would have fallen. As it was, they simply stumbled back a little.

"Ah! Gomen nasai!! Kiba-pup, don't tug me along so fast! You could have hurt Naruto-kun or this person here!" He motioned with one of his now free hands at the person he had yet to take a look at. The throaty chuckle and more light giggle made him spin around to see if what he was hearing was real.

Haku and Zabuza were both smiling at him. Well, Zabuza was smirking, but it was close enough to smiling that Shura didn't notice for all of two seconds that the man wasn't wearing bandages. It was also obvious that they were wearing some kind of makeup, because they looked different enough to not be immediately recognizable from the bingo book.

"What are you two doing here? I would think you'd be a little more keen to avoid such a large village!" (Leave before loyalty to Konoha makes me report you or you get caught on your own.") Shurachi said with a surprised smile. Zabuza easily read the true meaning behind his words, but waved it off.

He didn't get a chance to answer before Haku was speaking however. "We were traveling near here and heard that Konoha hosted a huge festival this time of year. I wanted to check it out, but I wasn't expecting to run into you!"

Shura smiled a little and Zabuza muttered something that could have been "just hoping you would…" He couldn't be sure though, so he didn't say anything about it.

Instead he motioned to the festival around them. "Feel free to enjoy. You should try some of the ramen Ichiraku's has to offer, it's delicious." He moved as if to leave them, but was halted by a slim arm looping with his.

He glanced down at Haku, who was blushing a brilliant shade of red, with surprised eyes. "Ano, Inuzuka-san? Could we maybe come with you? We don't really know this place that well." Shurachi glanced over at the three children huddled together, talking in hushed whispers.

It didn't do them much good, as Shura could both hear what was said and read lips, but it was nice to see Naruto looking so animated. They all nodded at each other before moving to stand around the three older males. "Lets go watch the exhibition matches Kaa-san!"

Shino grabbed Haku's wrist, pulling him forward, while Kiba grabbed Shurachi's, and Naruto grabbed Zabuza's. Haku seemed surprised and kept a tight hold of Shurachi, but Zabuza and Shura were both looking on with indulgent eyes.

They wandered the various booths, ate at Ichiraku's, and had a generally good time. It was near the end of the night when Shurachi felt the presence of someone of jyônin level power making their way towards them. He glanced meaningfully at Zabuza, receiving a nod for his troubles, before untangling Haku's arm from his.

"It was wonderful to see you again Haku-kun, but I think it's time these pups headed off to bed. You and Uza-san enjoy the rest of your night." He made to pat the other on the head, but Haku ducked under his hand and pushed up on his toes to kiss Shurachi on the cheek. Green eyes were wide behind their glasses, obviously surprised at the unexpected 'attack'.

Haku on the other hand flushed a red so bright, Zabuza was surprised his face didn't melt off from the heat of it. "Oyasumi nasai Inuzuka-san. Domo, for showing us around." He bowed a bit awkwardly, not used to the motion.

Green eyes regarded the pup, or was it adolescent now? At any rate, he smiled softly and bent to place a soft kiss on Haku's cheek in return. "Call me Shurachi, Haku-kun. Now we, and yourselves, really must be going. I'm sure we'll run into each other again at some future time." He smiled reassuringly and turned to scoop Shino and Naruto up in each arm. Doku had already appeared and was waiting patiently with Kiba settled on his back.

They disappeared into the foliage while Haku and Zabuza used some spilled sake to transport water style out of the little alcove right on time for Inuzuka Akira to stumble a little drunkenly on the alcove. He peered around blurrily, rubbing his face to try and sober up some, before shrugging and stumbling back into the crowd of cheering festival goers.

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From: Angry Johnny ()  
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I'm digusted with this story. First of all, Harry isn't gay. He doesn' liek  
other boys!! Second of all, he would never ever EVER have neded up in Naruto  
land. That isn't even mildly believable. On top od that he isn't a pedofile!!  
He wouldn't do Haku even if he was a girl! Your a fucking sicko to be writing  
this, I just wanted you to know. I hope you don't continue this after the new  
year, maybe you'll grow a concience and become a good person!

Angry Johnny

First of all, Angry Johnny, I'm glad you spelled the name of that song right. It doesn't really apply to your "review," but I can over look that without to many issues. Your spelling, however, leaves much to be desired, you should use spell check before you post things such as this.

On top of that, I would like to know your definition of a good person as my mother, father, older AND younger siblings all seem to believe I'm pretty decent. There is the exception of my younger sister when I tease her and say she's looking kind of skinny and suggest she's bulimic or anorexic, but that is understandable.

I'm glad you think I'm a "sicko", as one of my goals for a previously written story was to induce stupefied, disbelieving, horror in the readers. This just shows that I am capable of such and gives me hope. Please continue to be "digusted" with my story, I'll let everyone else be DISGUSTED with the one I wrote that was supposed to caused mild vomiting.

As for Harry being Homosexual in this story, I started writing this before it was confirmed that he likes girls. His experience with Cho was misleading enough to slashers hope and so I fed the flame and started writing this. Sure it got saved over on accident and i had to start over after he started dating Ginny, but I wasn't going to change my ideas for petty cannon relationships that are shallow enough for a baby to bath in.

Finally, Harry "ned"ing up in Naruto land is easily explained, even believably so! This story is a CROSSOVER FANFICTION and once the concept of HOW he got in Konoha is introduced it will make even more sense. Since you probably won't even read this, I'm not going to continue picking your "review" apart. Enjoy your opinion, as narrow minded as it is, and pray every night that god forgives you for reading a story such as this one for 71 long pages.


	18. Chapter 18

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** So I was just going down to the fish market, cause we was having suchi and my bud was out of salmon, yo. When, out of nowhere this fangirl rushes me, yo! She's wailin' and screachin' like some sorta banshee, yo! I's slapped her face tho, and she got all quiet like before she shrieked, loud nuff fer the whole damn STREET to here, "I wish you'd been the author/mangaka of Harry Potter and Naruto, this is so effing cool!!" and hugged me, yo! Like, right THERE, yo! I had to buy a gallon of sanitizer and some numbing cream for my ears, yo!

**Note::** It's finally here, stop bothering me about it now!! A whole chapter of Remus and Shura interaction. I thought it was kind of cute! The disclaimer is brought to you by wierd, and slightly psychotic, friend Hiroshi-sama. He's a little different. And if you're like, "WTH?!?!?!? Where's chapter 17?!?!?!?", go back and read. It was originally an authors note which I replaced with the real chapter.

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Shurachi groaned a little as he caught sight, or rather scent, of Remus Lupin. The man had been trying to become his friend/father figure since the week he started living in Konoha. As a result Shurachi had been avoiding him and anyone who liked him like the plague. Kiba thought he was the next best adult aside from his teacher, Iruka, or his mother, Shurachi, or his 'uncle', Hajime.

He didn't have a chance to get away before golden eyes locked on him however, and a brilliant smile lit up the mans face. The distinct scent of wolf grew stronger as Remus approached and became nearly overwhelming once he stopped to bow a little awkwardly. Obviously he wasn't any more used to the motion than Haku had been.

"Shurachi! It's nice to see you again! How is little Kiba doing?" Shura resisted the urge to growl at the mention of his pup and instead pulled his cloth mask up from around his neck. He'd taken to wearing it there when he'd started going on unexpected mission for the Hokage. With the amount of blood that was usually spilled on said missions, not to mention the need for secrecy as to the shinobi's identity, it was only logical he wear it.

Remus' smile faltered a little, but it soon picked up as Shura refrained from fleeing his presence right away as he usually did. "I was wondering if you'd like to learn the sort of jutsu my home village practiced. It's a lot different from yours, but I know you have the ability to use it."

Suspicious eyes narrowed on Remus "Jutsu? What sort of jutsu? What can it do and why would I want to learn it?"

Despite the obvious mistrust for the offer, Remus was brightened that he was actually considering it instead of just ignoring the idea all together. "Well I could show you a demonstration if you'd like. It isn't any trouble at all for me if you don't mind taking a little bit of time to have lunch with me."

Though Shurachi would have preferred to continue on his way to the Hokage's tower in order to turn in his report, he nodded his agreement. The report wasn't due for another day, so he wasn't really in any hurry.

They arrived at the Konoha Lotus Blossom, a rather cheep place to have a drink and some grilled meat, with little problem. Shurachi motioned for Doku to sit on the bench beside him and Remus took the spot across from them on the other side of the table.

"Alright. Ah, what would you like to see first?" Shurachi lifted an eyebrow and raised his hand to motion for a waiter to come by their booth.

Without bothering to think about it to much, he ordered them both some grilled beef with a dish of soy sauce for dipping and a plate of calamari. The Inuzuka remained silent until their order was delivered and the waitress had left before speaking. "They're your jutsu, how would I know what you should show me?"

He broke his chopsticks and picked up a slice of beef, dipped it in the soy sauce, and slipped it into his mouth with a happy little smirk. Remus noticed a bit belatedly that the mask had been removed. "Oh, well yes, I suppose it would make more sense for me to decide then, wouldn't it?" He shifted a bit uneasily at the silence that followed this.

Shurachi snorted quietly, then ate another piece of meat. "Wouldn't it be better if we finish eating then go to a training ground? This is a civilian restaurant, I don't want to do the paper work if you manage to destroy it with your jutsu."

Remus nodded mutely, feeling very much like a pup being reprimanded, and quietly finished eating his meat before letting Shura lead him to an empty training ground. He cleared his throat, feeling significantly more foolish than he had in a very long time, and aims his wand at a rather large rock.

Being very careful to enunciate each word, he didn't want to get it wrong and make a fool of himself, he levitated, "Wingardium Levi_o_sa!", the boulder sized rock three meters into the air. When he glanced over at Shurachi, he was pleased to see the wide eyes and slightly incredulous expression.

"So, did you want to learn my jutsu, or should I show you more?" He grinned as green eyes focused on him, ignoring the now earth bound rock.

"How did you do that? What sort of jutsu would allow you to levitate a rock like that? There are Earth Style jutsu that let you pick up a rock with chakra and throw it, but my kikai say you didn't use any chakra at all! What was that?" Shurachi demanded, obviously shaken with the demonstration.

Remus' grin widened "That, Inuzuka-san, is magic. It's what wizards use in place of chakra, and from what I have seen, it is much more versatile. I could clean your clothing as good as new while you're still wearing them, I could conjure up a shield and block an attack without ever moving a muscle, I could even transfigure an opponent into a harmless toad."

Green eyes stared at him suspiciously. "Magic?"

A happy nod "Magic."

"Well, maybe you aren't as useless, or helpless, as I thought you were." Shurachi enjoyed the brief flash of confusion that skittered across the mans face before shooting forward with inhuman speed and placing a kunai at the mans neck. "But that doesn't mean you can get cocky. Just because you can do some fancy jutsu doesn't mean I can't still kill you."

The confusion left Remus' eyes as he began to realize what was happening. Shurachi was an alpha dog. He had even told Remus that, though at the time he hadn't really understood. It was just like when he'd played envoy to the werewolf packs for Dumbledor. Here Inuzuka Shurachi was the alpha male, the strongest, the protector of his clan, and Remus' very presence threatened that.

With this in mind, Remus tilted his head just enough for the kunai to make a thin slice on his neck. Along with that, he let a small, submissive whine bubble out of his chest and lowered his eyes in such a way that he was watching the ground rather than the alpha dog above him. He hadn't noticed it before, but he'd been forced to his knees when Shurachi had attacked.

Blood trickling down his neck, and obvious submission soothing Shura's threatened senses, the Inuzuka took a step back. "I will learn this jutsu of yours, but do not think that I will continue to learn from you should this threaten my pups in any way."

Remus readily agreed.

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Review and give me love! No one reviewed last chapter because it was a "replacement" chapter that was originally an Authors Note, so show me you love me...I mean this story!! -puppy eyes-

Taku


	19. Chapter 19

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** I have decided that the new "Emo" thing is cuttign your gums. No one notices and you still get to cry because your in pain. The best part? Crying actually makes the pain WORSE!! D What's this got to do with me not owning any of this? Not a thing.

**Note::** I think I actually put plot into the next chapter. At least, main plot. Not the side plots I've been entertaining myself with. Eh heh heh...yeah. I hope this makes everyone feel better about the short length of chapters. I was going to cut it in half, then so many people screamed at me for making them so short. TTTT

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Shurachi crouched down to smile reassuringly at Kiba as the pup sniffled into Akamaru's fur. "You make it seem like I'm going off to die or something Kiba-pup. It's just a two week mission to Suna. You'll be staying with Kunimitsu-oji until I get back, so you don't have to worry about not being able to see Shino."

He ran his fingers through Kiba's spiky hair "Hajime-niisama has agreed to let you stay the night on the weekends so long as you and Shino stay out of trouble in the Academy as well."

Kiba sniffled and smoothed down Akamaru's now wet fur, doing his best to consol the whimpering little puppy as much as trying to stop his own tears. "What about Uzumaki? I heard you and uncle talking about how the Hyuuga were trying to get rid of him. I don't know why they would want to, but won't it be easier for them if you leave the village?"

A fang poked out as Shura smirked at his little brother. "You were eavesdropping on a private conversation and you weren't even suspected of it? Good job pup! Unfortunately, you gave away that you had disobeyed my orders to go to bed because I know that conversation took place after two in the morning. Do you know what that means?"

Kiba squeaked as he realized exactly what that meant and tossed Akamaru at Shura in a desperate attempt to get away. Sadly for him, Shura merely caught the dog, set it down, and grabbed his retreating ankle to drag him back down to the floor. The tickle fight that ensued was enough to lift Kiba's spirits and dry up his tears.

"Now be a good pup for Kunimitsu-oji and try to stay out of trouble. I'll be back in two weeks with presents for you and Shino, so I don't want to hear that you were impersonating your uncle to get out of going to class or something similar." He pressed a kiss to Kiba's forehead, ruffled the already wild hair, and called Doku to his side before making his way to the gate.

On his run through Konoha, Mikaro caught up with him. "I want you and your brother to organize a team of Inuzuka to protect Uzumaki Naruto from any and all attacks. I don't care if they're sanctioned by the Hokage, no one is touch that boy with anything less than kindness. I can't stand the thought of any canine, even a fox, falling victim to birds like the Hyuuga."

Mikaro smirked a little "Not to mention you have a soft spot for kids. Don't try to deny it Alpha-sama, you're even nice to the Hyuuga brats whenever you have the misfortune of being near them."

A quiet snort was her only response and she laughed quietly. "I heard the only reason you volunteered for this mission was to check up on a pup you met when you were only nine years old Alpha-sama, you're nearly seventeen now so that's a long time to worry for a brat you only met once." She broke off her run, barking at her own dog to find Yagumi and tell him their orders while she went off to gather the team.

As a result she missed Shura's worried frown and Doku's quiet yip "I know Doku, but he smelled like Naruto. I didn't know what it meant back then, but I do now and I have to make sure he's okay." Doku whined his agreement and the kikai crawling around under his skin even paused long enough that he could pretend they were worried for the child too. "I only hope you haven't fallen victim to your village Gaara."

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It was Inuzuka Shurachi's opinion that the concept of a Goodwill mission was fine when talked about. It was even okay during the planning stage. Hell, he probably wouldn't have anything against it when it was executed either, if it weren't for the fact that he was one of the shinobi involved.

Sure he'd agreed to go on the mission, and sure he could see why an exchange of shinobi would strengthen ties between allies, but damn was he regretting ever having heard of the damn thing! He'd forgotten in the seven or so years since his last mission to Wind Country just how dry and hot it was!

Poor Doku was still shedding his winter coat, panting beside him. Some Hyuuga idiot, who had been sent along as soon as the Hyuuga learned he was on the mission, was trying to shake the last drops of water out of his canteen a little behind them. The team leader, some newly retired Anbu named Kakashi, was reading a porn book in front of them.

To top it all off, though he was actually rather relieved for these two being on the mission, Hasunuma and Mitsuo were stealing glances and brushing touches against each other the whole way. He was the only one acting like a proper shinobi, even if he was mentally whining like a five year old about the heat.

Sunagakure came into view and Doku barked a little in relief. They were shown to the hotel they'd be using for the duration of their stay and immediately Doku jumped into the cool bath tub. They couldn't turn on the cold water, their water share wasn't for another four hours, but they could enjoy the coolness of the tile, much to their teammates amusement.

The Hyuuga turned up his nose at the doggish behavior he was exhibiting while Kakashi lowered himself to the ground beside Shurachi and continued to read. They were close enough in attack partners that they could understand one another. Hasunuma and Mitsuo were curled up on top of one bed, stealing small kisses and making sleepy noises.

Kakashi closed his book and cleared his throat once the Hyuuga had sat down on the bed farthest from and cuddling couple. "We get our patrol schedule tomorrow, so enjoy your free time today. Water share is for an hour at twilight, so be considerate and don't hog the shower." With that he moved to his own bed and settled down to continue reading.

Shurachi absently reached over to pet his panting dog in the bath tub as he closed his own eyes and let a tired breath escape him. He wondered where he should start looking for the little boy he'd met almost a decade ago, if he even should go looking. It seemed to him as though the child could already be a Shinobi on missions with his weird control over sand.

Well, he'd keep an eye out for any signs, scents, of the child, but he wouldn't actively search for him unless he caught a lead by coincidence. With his mind made up he pushed himself to his feet and made his way over to the bed next to Mitsuo and Hasunuma. Green eyes glanced at the pair, Mitsuo already out on Hasunuma's chest.

"You two are sharing right?" He was quiet in order to not wake Mitsuo, but Hasunuma heard him anyway and nodded. With a tired nod of his own, he flopped onto the bed next to them and let a fitful sleep take him.

It was on his second day of patrol that he caught wind of a vaguely familiar scent. He turned his head away from the suggested patrol path and instead followed the scent. He came upon a red haired genin with a large sand gourd on his back. His canine tendency to label others according to pack rank immediately recognized him as an adopted pup, the same as Shino, and was eager to reaffirm the pack bonds.

Doku growled a little, unsure but recognizing that the boy before them was familiar. "I brought juice." The quiet voice lacked the childish mispronunciation, but he recognized it anyway.

Cautiously, Shura approached and sat down beside him on the ledge of the building. A long tube of sweet juice was handed to him and he absently sniffed it to make sure it wasn't poisoned before taking a sip.

They sat in silence, watching the half moon rise, for several long minutes. "You left." It probably wasn't meant to be said out loud, but the almost accusatory tone made Shura frown.

"I had no choice, my mission time was up and if I'd stayed I would have been labeled a missing nin. I couldn't do that to my pup, not with the way my family would have reacted." Shura sipped his juice again and smiled as he realized that it was the exact same flavor as the juice he'd given Gaara so long ago.

They sat in a, if not comfortable, content silence until both of them had finished their juice and the paper tubes were burned away with a katon jutsu. Shura was perfectly happy to lean back on his arms and stare up at the stars that were clearly visible in the unhindered desert sky, but Gaara broke the silence again.

"I though you had found out what I was from the villagers you know. I thought you were leaving because you had learned to hate and fear me just as they did." Shurachi felt his eyes widen, felt his body move, and finally came back to himself properly when the warmth and slight pain of pulling Gaara very forcefully into his lap hit him.

The younger boy was cradled gently, but tightly, in an obvious protective embrace. Sand whirled and shifted uneasily, but it seemed Gaara had better control of it now then he'd had last time Shura had visited. He could still remember the sound of the tiny bird being crushed when it came to close to a frightened and startled Gaara.

Shura took a deep breath to calm himself "I would never do something like that Gaara-kun. I may have only known you for a short time, but Inuzuka don't hurt pups. It doesn't matter to me that you're a jinchuriki, one of my adopted pups back home houses the Kyuubi no Kitsune. It doesn't matter if you're not a pup of the pack, I'm rather fond of a wandering pup that sometimes visit's the village."

He pulled back some to stare into the confused aqua eyes. "You are a precious person, someone to be cherished and not hurt. Something to be protected, be it by teaching you how to protect yourself or wrapping you in cotton. The villagers fear and hate what they don't understand, yes, but I could never do that."

Pale lips pulled into a smile and graceful hands brushed some sand from Gaara's cheek. "I would be quite the hypocrite if I disliked you because you were different since I, myself, am not originally from this place. I am different to you, to your people, and to my own village. An unnatural outsider, one who is far to powerful for their liking."

A green eye winked at Gaara, who felt his face twitch like it wanted to smile. "Now, how have you been since I was away? Are you a Shinobi yet? Will you be taking part in the next chûnin exam? My little Kiba isn't a genin yet, but he will be soon. Hmmmm, you need to eat more. Healthy Shinobi eat healthy meals."

His mothering seemed to be doing the trick. Shura wasn't usually one to act like an overprotective hen, but he was trained to see and understand body language. It didn't matter that the body was sitting in his lap, he still played the role he knew would be the most likely to relax Gaara.

It was something he wasn't really familiar with, outside of hazy childhood memories and Koi-Hajime's mother, but he was pleased with himself for trying as the body in his arms relaxed almost completely.

There was no chore in listening to Gaara's quiet voice tell him about the various things he'd done in the academy, the things he'd learned, the careful omitting of anything that could be connected to friends or family. There was a brief scent of old pain when Gaara told him about how he liked to sit on the roof of his family home and watch the stars. Something bordering on fear when he mentioned how he couldn't really sleep at because of the demon housed inside of him.

By the time the sun was rising, Shura was sure that Gaara would be alright. Maybe a little unstable, but certainly able to function somewhat normally.

"Ah, Gaara-kun? My shift is ending, I have to check in and let my squad leader know I was murdered in the night." He smiled a little at the tired eyes blinking owlishly up at him. The smaller boy had fallen into his trance-like replacement for sleep nearly two hours ago.

A pale hand came up to rub at one of Gaara's eyes before the red head nodded. "When is your mission over?"

Shurachi almost winced at the slow, but obvious, distancing the pup he held was working on. It was probably for the best, as he would be leaving soon, but it still made him feel terrible.

"In a few days. This is just a goodwill mission between our villages. Perhaps next time you can come visit Konohagakure. It's certainly less exhausting than the desert!" He tried to make it sound teasing, and from the glance he got it was taken that way, but with the sun came Shurachi's personal reminder.

Koishi had always loved watching the sun rise. He'd never really mentioned it, or woken Shurachi for the event, but most mornings after a night they'd spent together usually started with Shura finding Koishi on the roof.

A weight that seemed much lighter, but was still much to heavy, settled over him. His good morning, or in their case good night, to Gaara was very much subdued and the usual rush he got after the first jump from one roof to another didn't come as it usually did.

By the time he was flopping into his bed, Mitsuo fast asleep in the bed next to his and Hasunuma sipping something that smelled like lavender tea, he was thoroughly ensconced in his memories of Koishi.

"_Shurachi! Come look at this!" Shura looked up from the little snow fox he'd spotted across the field to glance at his bestest friend in the whole world. Sure Koishi was older than him, sure he was really just his big sisters friend, but the older boy had come over to play with him three days in a row and that made him the closest thing to a best friend Shurachi had ever had._

_One last glance at the fox and he was wading through the snow to get to the boy crouched over something he had unburied. Laying frozen and slightly crushed in the snow was a small purple flower._

_Shura smiled brightly at it and made an effort to try and get it to stand like the ones in his aunt's garden had. He'd enjoyed the few hours he'd gotten outside when he'd been helping take care of the garden._

_Apparently Koishi noticed this, as he reached down to pluck the flower from it's frozen prison and, a tad shyly, hold the droopy piece of flora out to Shurachi. "Here. You can keep it. It would just freeze to death out here anyway." Shurachi's whole face seemed to brighten as he took the flower, and if it didn't wilt for an entire month neither boy really thought it odd._

_Green eyes watched in curiosity as Koishi tugged his shirt off, the girls off to the side cooed, and the sparring continued. It was a rather hot summer day and Koishi had invited Shurachi, who was newly enrolled in the academy, to watch him spar against Kabuto._

_The white haired boy had been his creepily polite self, offering Shurachi his jacket to sit on instead of the damp ground, catching him when Doku made him stumble by stopping to inspect some smell or other, and even trying to offer Shura his own lunch when it became obvious the younger boy was hungry._

_Koishi had neatly canceled out the gesture of the jacket by handing his own to Shurachi, follow by his over shirt. Both had been spread in such a way that he was very much comfortable, and very content with the scent of his best friend in his nose. The lunch was taken care of no problem; they'd both packed one._

_It was a little more dangerous to outdo the catching of Shura after his stumble but, as expected, Koishi met and surpassed the gesture by snatching Shurachi up just in time to miss a rain of badly aimed kunai. _

_The warm bubble in Shurachi's chest grew and he couldn't stop the glowing smile from forming on his face._

_Blood trickled from a split in his lips, a bruise was darkening on his cheek, and a smile so wide his face could crack. Shurachi had just completed his first B-rank solo mission and to top it all off? Koishi didn't have to go on his mission for another three days! They had three whole days to get up to all sorts of fun._

_Happy at the prospect of spending time with his new lover, he rushed quickly through cleaning up and hurried to the Aburame compound. Maybe he would get lucky and little Shino would be visiting with his uncle._

Green eyes flew open, a sense of peace invading his body. The reason for his waking from a good dream, for he often tried hard to stay in them as long as possible, was Mitsuo.

The former kunoichi was very carefully blowing the scent of lavender from a small bottle at him, making him sneeze again. "Buchou! You're awake, good. There's been a weird kid sitting outside on the balcony for nearly an hour and Hasu-kun said I should probably wake you if he didn't leave."

Shura glanced at the balcony and let a quirky little smirk pull at his lips when he saw Gaara sitting there and staring unabashedly at him. "Don't worry about him Mitsu-chan, he's a friend of mine from my very first mission here."

Doku yipped a little, making a very chatty kind of sound afterward before going over to the screen and nudging it open. He cautiously skirted around the pool of sand and took hold of a loose piece of cloth to tug Gaara into the room.

The redhead followed without complaint and settled on the edge of Shurachi's bed where Doku finally let him go. The dog barked happily, waved his tail a few times, then settled back down to sleep. It was the middle of the day, the hottest part, and most of the village was sleeping through it in order to avoid the heat.

Shurachi was rather looking forward to slipping away from the oppressive heat again, but first he had to find out why Gaara had shown up at his temporary living space.

"Is something wrong Gaara-kun? I thought you were going to rest after you fell asleep on me last night." Gaara looked down at his lap before aqua eyes turned on him.

"Would I be able to…would you mind if I stayed here? I couldn't rest and I thought maybe I would…" he trailed off in a fashion that was very unlike him. It made Shura think of the small boy who'd had trouble properly pronouncing almost every word.

Nevertheless, green eyes softened and the thin sheet coving his uniform clad body was pulled back to make room for the smaller male. Gaara took no time to think of how odd he was acting, of how much the child he once was, was crying in relief inside his mind. Instead he cuddled closer to the only untainted memory of his childhood he had and brought forth the trance that he used to rest.

Shurachi didn't take very long to drop into dreamland either and Mitsuo, a bit confused but still happy, pulled out his camera and snapped a quick picture. He was sure his Buchou would want one.

When it came time for them to leave, Gaara was nowhere to be found. Doku whined and barked and even howled a few times, but there was no head of red hair coming to say goodbye. Shurachi understood that the younger boy was only trying to distance himself from the possible hurt this would cause, but he couldn't help his own hurt at the refusal to say goodbye.

The desert was as hot as it had always been, but this time the sand didn't make them sink with every step. He guessed it was because they'd gotten used to walking on it after two weeks, but he wondered if it were possible to become so good at something like that with only two weeks practice.

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I know it was crappy. I didn't actually go over it as thoroughly as I usually do, but I was so excited that I actually finished the chapter on time that i had to post it. Just know that I'll be going through and upgrading this story once it's all posted. Put in better stuff, fix some holes, make the characters less shallow. And the bit about there not really being much main plot before now? LIE! There was lots, you'll just have to guess what it was. xD

Taku


	20. Chapter 20

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** Well there was an e-mail from a scary stalker-fan-like person that appeared in the inbox of two very different people. They promptly deleted it and I never got to know if they'd consider loaning me Harry Potter and Naruto for the rest of my life. L

**Note::** It took two weeks, but I got this pumped out. Haku won, but Shura will kind of scout about for a more suitable mate before he gets with Haku. I tried to make it longer, but I'm still having some troubles. Thank Serpent in the Shadows for this, I would never have gotten an update out with her…his….it's help. Huh, I just realized I don't know what gender you are! I'm just gonna go with her for now though.

Everyone go read her stories, they are simply amazing. If you like mine, you'll worship hers.

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Shurachi growled low in his throat as the staff he was using spat a jet of angry birds at the man across from him. He'd just learned the avian spell, mostly at the promise that such simple things would lead to more useful spells once he had a hang of his magic.

It had been nearly a year and half since he'd started learning though, and the only spell he considered remotely useful had been one that protected from physical attacks. He'd cast it on Kiba and Shino so many times it was a wonder they never noticed.

"Well Shurachi-kun, I think you should be able to learn something entirely new. You passed the exam I set with flying colors." Shura's scowl didn't lessen at all at the flat joke, but his tenseness did seem to be going away.

"It's called the animagus transformation and it-"

"-lets one change into an animal that matches their soul. I know this, you gave me several books on it to read when we first started transfiguration." Remus laughed a little forcedly, wondering why the younger man was so upset. It had been a long time since Shurachi had been so short with him!

"Yes, well, I brewed the potion you would need, so you can take it whenever you like." A small orange vial was produced and Shura was slow to take it. He gave the vial a suspicious glare, wary of potions despite knowing it wasn't poisoned.

He did take it though, and immediately drop to the ground on all fours. Something warm seared through his body before he felt himself detach from the world. He could see his body growing, morphing, sprouting fur, but he couldn't feel a thing.

When finally the change seemed to be done, he slammed back into the large, three headed dog that had taken his place. It was an entirely new thing to smell, hear, and even see in triplicate. He could already tell this was going to be a form he would have to train in for it to be of any use at all.

The little human before him seemed surprised, afraid even. Shurachi wasn't sure why, the scent of pack was all over this one. He wouldn't hurt a pack member, he was the alpha protector after all.

Something shivered along his body, little insects inspecting the new form. Apparently they found it satisfactory because a content fuzz reached his mind before cold flooded his system and he was laying on the grass panting.

"That was…" He trailed off, unable to find a word that could describe the feeling of utter happiness he was experiencing right then.

Haku had given him a Cerberus puppy and recently it had been getting hard to control it. The dog run he'd kept it in had gotten to small, but he couldn't just let it roam about freely. If he could master this form, he could keep easy control of it. It wouldn't go against the alpha of it's pack.

Keeping this in mind, he turned sharp green eyes on Remus. "How do I do that without a potion? It said in most of the books that a person could, but they never explained how."

The little bubble of protectiveness that appeared inside of him when Remus smiled was set aside for later examination. He could consider the ramifications of accepting the older man into his pack after he was told how to find his Soul Animal.

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Shurachi glanced up from the group of puppies he'd been teaching the basic commands to when he felt a brief flare of familiar chakra. A sharp bark sent the dog running back to it's fellows, more than happy to chase a dragonfly with it's brothers and sisters.

Doku was similarly ordered to remain, Kiba would be getting home from the academy soon after all. Then, when he was sure everything was taken care of, the Inuzuka launched himself into the trees and moved as quickly as he could toward the burst of chakra.

When the scent of heated water reached his nose he slowed. The natural onsen about three miles outside of Konoha's borders was a favorite spot for shinobi that didn't want to put up with the civilians in the public baths. Shurachi himself had been there several times after Koishi's death when the idea of the various memories they'd made in the public baths had been to much for him.

He didn't think he would be visiting it any time after his fight with his father, the older Inuzuka frequented the springs three or more days a week when he wasn't on missions after all. Now that he was there though, he was rather glad to have followed the chakra.

Haku was settled in the warm water, an ice mirror floating in front of him melting and refreezing in the steam. It was obvious he was trying to train while still enjoying himself. The water flowing down the smooth, pale body caught Shura's eye more readily than the mirror though.

Drops were condensing and making small trails on the alabaster skin as it desperately made it's way back to the pool it came from. A dark trail of hair led into the water and Shura could just barely make out the boys manhood under the steaming water.

He'd always thought of Haku as a pup, a child of Zabuza's pack, definitely not a candidate for mating. He was oblivious, he'd smelled the pups interest, but all pups became interested in the leaders of different packs when they met. Kiba had been very much enamored with the Nara Alpha when he'd first met him. The small crush had disappeared very quickly, but it was still proof that pups had a fascination for the Alpha's of other packs.

Haku reached hand up and pushed it through his hair, dipping his body back to get it wet and then standing back up in such a way as to make his hair cling to his chest and shoulders. It framed his face, making him seem much more feminine than he really was. The most noticeable thing about it though, was Shurachi's complete and utter inability to think of him as a pup anymore.

It was very obvious, despite the water in the air, that Haku had hit puberty and would be thinking of mating soon. Though Shurachi couldn't smell very well with all the vapor, he was quite certain that the scent now coming from the younger male would be much more enticing to him. As such, he had to leave quickly. It wouldn't help him at all if he was caught peeping on the boy by Zabuza.

Maybe he just needed to get laid? Check out other potential mates before he fell into bed with someone two years his junior? There had been a couple jyônin who had hinted that if he was ever looking they'd be happy to accommodate him. Iruka was also a candidate, especially as Kiba and Shino already liked him well enough.

Maybe Abarai Renji would be up for a tumble in the leaves to help get the image of a wet Haku out of his mind. They hadn't really interacted as anything but passing acquaintances since a year or so after Kyuubi's attack, but the red head was known for being rather loose with his morals when it came to bed partners. He certainly wouldn't protest to Shurachi looking for a little oblivion.

Zabuza watched from his position in a higher tree branch as the Inuzuka left. He knew what the younger shinobi was thinking, he'd thought it a few times himself, but he didn't really hold any interest in his traveling companion as anything more than an able shinobi.

He was a little annoyed that Haku had let his chakra spike like that though. Zabuza knew it was deliberate because it had happened right after he'd mentioned that they were near Konoha. He'd have to talk with the boy about luring enemy shinobi to you when you were bathing.

Haku ducked himself under the water again and came up with a little gasp when Zabuza's chakra touched along his briefly. "You shouldn't be letting out signals like that." The deep voice had him sinking into the water a little.

"I know Zabuza-san, but I was kind of hoping Inuzuka-san would have felt the spike and come to see what it was about." He blushed as Zabuza grinned a little meanly through his bandages.

A gleam that made Haku nervous entered the older males eyes. "You really think Shurachi Inuzuka, leader of the Inuzuka Clan, would want a mate as weak as you are right now? He has his pick of strong mates in Konoha, why would he want a punk like you?"

Haku's eyes widened and he shook his head a little before ducking back under the water to disguise the tears threatening to break loose. He hadn't really thought about it before, but what Zabuza said was true. Why would such a powerful person want weak little him when they could have any number of strong shin obi's in his own village?

Well, he'd just have to get stronger, become someone that Inuzuka Shurachi would want to have as a mate. Next to the spring Haku was still hiding in Zabuza smirked. If that wasn't motivation for his weapon to get stronger then he didn't know what was.

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What do you guys think I should have Shura do once he gets to Hogwarts? Review and let me know!!

Taku


	21. Chapter 21

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** Well there was an e-mail from a scary stalker-fan-like person that appeared in the inbox of two very different people. They promptly deleted it and I never got to know if they'd consider loaning me Harry Potter and Naruto for the rest of my life. L

**Note::** Yay! I was afraid I wouldn't get it out this time because it was unfinished when I left for work today, but I managed to finish it!! -happiness-

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Shurachi slowly walked toward his home as the low burn of alcohol in his stomach warmed him. After catching sight of a wet Haku he'd needed a few drinks. It wasn't enough to make him stumble around, but it was enough that he felt better about ogling the boy. He had come to terms with the fact that Haku wasn't a pup anymore, was turning into a rather fine young male, but he still wasn't ready to even think about bedding the guy.

Long braid smacked against his back as he came to a sudden stop. He could have sworn he'd heard…Ah! There it was again! The sound of something hitting the ground, a whimper, some cursing. Those were all things he'd heard before and he knew, without even having to think about it, that they were things he shouldn't be hearing on his way home.

Another small cry reached him and he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "Well, I guess I have to investigate it now. I can't say I didn't hear anything as I'm an Inuzuka and I can't say it wasn't my problem as I'm a shinobi of Konohagakure."

He didn't bother to keep his voice down, hoping that whoever it was would be scared off by the thought of being caught. No such luck though, the man was still standing over a huddled form with a large piece of wood. Shurachi wrinkled his nose at the smell floating around the alley and pulled his cloth over the lower half of his face.

"What a horrible stink! I don't remember this alley smelling this bad, it must be the occupant!" He complained. The man holding the board tensed up further before swinging it down on the curled up person on the ground.

Green eyes flickered down and hardened as they settled on golden hair. The quiet whimper that tore itself from the form also brought up his instincts. This was one of his pups, and some outsider had dared to harm him? Well, he'd have to make sure it never happened again, wouldn't he?

Long claws pushed from his fingers, canines pointed and grew, and Shurachi crouched in a threatening manner. "You would dare attack one of my pups?" His voice was low, the words growled. The board moved as if to swing down again and Shura wasted no time in darting forward.

The man never had a chance. Shurachi's claws ripped into him with a gleeful abandon that he hadn't experienced in quite some time. There was nothing like defending a pup to bring out his sadistic side. Intestines burst in his grip, a stomach spilled acid and partially digested food over the ground, and finally his claws caught on ribs.

He pulled his bloody hand back to punch the mans chest, relishing the feel of bone giving way, and grinned viciously at the blood that bubbled from the man's mouth. "Really, attacking a defenseless child. You should be ashamed of yourself." His grin widened at the disbelieving look in the man's eyes before they rolled into the back of his head and the man's body slipped off his bloody fist.

Kikai swarmed out of his arms and converged on the blood covering his torso. Once they moved away to clear another spot he was left clean, if not a little damp. When he was sure he didn't have to much blood on him, Shurachi crouched next to Naruto and carefully scooped him up. The child curled tighter and made small noises of distress, but he didn't try to get away so Shurachi easily carried him out of the alley and toward his clans personal doctor.

The Inuzuka Alpha settled himself in the waiting room with a small sigh and closed his eyes to nap lightly. It would be a little while before any news came of the blonds condition, so he might as well get some rest.

Morning came with a wet tongue and deathly strong grip. Sometime during the night Doku had appeared at his side with Kiba in his lap and Akamaru on Kiba's head. The pup was licking his cheek while Kiba was hugging him in his sleep. Shurachi didn't mind though, waking up with the most important part of his pack near him was always welcome.

The air stirred and wafted a sterile scent into Shurachi's nose. The medic entered the room a second later and smiled at the sight of her Alpha and his pup. "Shurachi-sama, Uzumaki-san will be fine. His…condition enables him to heal ten times faster than a normal shinobi and most of the injuries are gone already. The internal bleeding has also stopped and he's breathing much easier."

Green eyes closed in relief before opening again. "When will he be able to leave? Iruka is his sensei in the academy this year and I'd rather not have him chewing me out for keeping one of his students away from him longer than necessary."

Doku snorted in agreement of his human. The pack mate that smelled like ocean and warmth could be very scary when he though a pup was in trouble.

"As soon as he wakes up he'll be able to go. There isn't anything I can do now that he isn't already doing himself, so all I recommend is that he not do any big jutsu for a little while. Since he's an academy student we probably don't have to worry about that."

Shurachi nodded and settled to, once again, wait. He'd personally escort Kiba and Naruto to class in order to explain their tardiness to Iruka. As a bonus he'd get to see his old teammate. It had been a long time since any of them had been together for any amount of time. He'd have to get Iruka and Mitsuo to come out to dinner with him sometime.

Naruto woke a few hours later and Shurachi gave him some clean clothes he'd had one of the Inuzuka genin retrieve from Naruto's apartment. It didn't take very long for the three of them and both dogs to get out on the street.

A smile tugged at his lips as Kiba and Naruto chased each other around him and the dogs, Akamaru and Doku barking happily along with the boys laughter. No one bothered them all the way to the academy.

When they came in the classroom door Shurachi watched Iruka turn a glinting eye on the boys and take a breath to get ready for a major chewing out. Noting the way both boys cringed, he took a step into the room and cleared his throat loudly. "Iruka-kun, I'm so sorry the boys are late. I'm afraid I kept them home longer than I thought and only just realized the academy had already started. Please accept my apology."

Iruka deflated and turned a surprised, but still happy, look on his old teammate. "Buchou? What are you doing here? I thought you had a mission today?"

Pale lips curved in a small smile. "I'm not your captain anymore Iruka-kun, you don't have to call me Buchou! And I do have a mission, but it isn't a very hard mission so I thought I'd come explain their absence in person. This way they wouldn't get in as much trouble when it was my fault."

Laughter erupted from Iruka, startling several students that had been sleeping. "I'll call you Buchou if I want, Buchou. You don't stop being one just because we aren't in a team anymore. I have mission room duty after school, so we can talk when you hand in your report." There was a slight warning toward the end as Shurachi had been late, two weeks late, in getting his last report in.

The Inuzuka smiled a little wider and nodded his agreement. "Make sure you do your work today boys, I'll be asking Iruka if you slacked off again after school." Kiba and Shino sunk a little in their chairs while Naruto smiled shyly at the idea that someone would be asking after his progress in school.

Green eyes swept the room one last time, lingering on the frowning Uchiha, before Shurachi waved good bye and left. He'd have to be quick about retrieving the summoning scroll from the neighboring village. It wouldn't due for Iruka to be stood up after all.

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Please review and tell me what you think! I really was a little lost writing this chapter as I knew what I wanted to happen, but I wasn't sure how to get there. XD

Taku


	22. Chapter 22

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** I was held down and beaten viciously by Macabre Dancers with soap in socks until I admitted that I didn't own Naruto or Harry Potter, the psychological repercussions were horrifying!! -wail sob-

**Note::** Those of you that are wondering why there are so many filler chapters, this isn't one! In fact, very few of them are actually filler chapters. The last one was, I will admit that, but it was better than not having an update wasn't it? Some humor, some not humor, and Sasuke in this one! Still no dialogue for Naruto, but he'll get some lines next chapter so it's okay.

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Summer crisped into fall and Shurachi found himself spending more time around his old teammate. It wasn't something he was unhappy with though. Shura found that the time he spent around Iruka was usually enough to chase away the lingering thoughts of Haku that liked to float out of his mind and startle him.

The dull ache of Koishi's death was slowly being soothed by Iruka's soft blushes and shy smiles as well. Something he never thought could happen, but he was glad for it. He could feel this soothing balm the best when he was with the chûnin, so he'd sent Kiba over to Hajime's and given Doku strict orders to keep the Aburame out of the kitchen.

Once he was sure his pups were safe from Hajime's lack of cooking skills, Shurachi cleaned himself up and pulled on some slacks with a civilian button up shirt. His many braids had been replaced with one long ponytail that was left to hang down his back. Silky black bangs framed his face and hid the scar on his forehead from view with the blazing red Inuzuka triangles helping to draw attention away from it.

He wasn't sure why, but the scar had always given him an uneasy feeling. As a genin he'd had horrible dreams of slaughtered civilians and weird jutsu that had always come when his scar ached. He hadn't had anything like that since he'd made chûnin, but he was getting a feeling of unease every time he glimpsed the scar in a mirror.

Satisfied with his own appearance, Shurachi slipped a couple senbon into his clothing and left to pick up Iruka. The academy teacher had agreed, amongst much blushing and stuttering, to go out with him to dinner and a movie. Koishi and he had always had dates that revolved more around watching other shinobi in the training grounds while eating a picnic Shurachi had made, but the Inuzuka doubted Iruka would want to do something related to violence on a date.

It was a relaxing, totally chaste night spent talking about things they'd done as a team and people they both knew. They stuck to purely civilian establishments and saw a comedy about a singer that fell in love with a novelist and all the weird things that happened to them. Shurachi walked Iruka to the door of his apartment, gave him a kiss on the cheek because Iruka was already blushing brighter than Naruto's jacket, and walked towards his house.

The sun was going down and he had to go by the river, but that didn't really worry him. Enemy nin would have a hard time getting through all the traps set up to keep them out. He was a little surprised to find Uchiha Sasuke sitting on one of the fishing docks though. He hadn't really given the last surviving Uchiha much thought beyond what would happen with Itachi whenever he was caught.

Shurachi turned, as if to continue on his way, when he made the mistake of scenting the air. The salty tang of tears was faint, but it was still there and his maternal instincts wouldn't let him leave a pup in distress. So, mentally cursing his father and sister for bringing out the mothering side of him, Shura made his way down the small hill and onto the dock.

There weren't any words, he simply sat besides Sasuke and stared straight ahead as the Uchiha sniffled and scooted to burry his face into Shurachi's side. It wasn't like when Kiba cried, huge sobs that shook his body, or when Shino cried, small hiccupping hitches in his breath that made small jerky motions.

Sasuke's tears were silent and motionless, trailing down his cheeks and soaking into Shura's button up shirt. Little arms circled his waste, holding tightly to him, and Shura wrapped one arm around the crying Uchiha.

He wasn't sure how long they sat like that, but the sun had been down for a while before the child pulled away from him with a little sniffle. "Thank you." The quiet murmur was a little thick, but Shurachi only nodded.

"You're an Inuzuka right?" Again Shura nodded, though this time he had a curious look on his face. "Aniki….I was told that if I ever needed help I could ask an Inuzuka. Kaasan said that they were always nice to kids."

Chapped lips frowned slightly and Shura reached out a hand to rest on Sasuke's head. "Uchiha-kun, the Inuzuka will always help a pup in need. No matter where your information came from, it is true we do not turn children away. There is only so much we can do though, some things you'll have to do alone."

Sasuke nodded with a small frown before looking up at Shurachi, green eyes watching him behind the rectangular glasses. "I know I have to be a genin before I can officially join the Council, but I am the rightful holder of the Uchiha seat on the Clan Council. My father only taught Itachi what he needed to know about the council and never even mentioned it to me. I was hoping the head of your clan would teach me."

Shurachi frowned slightly, disliking the thought of a pup having to give up his childhood in order to join the council, but he ruffled Sasuke's hair with a nod and pulled his hand away from the boy's hair. "Alright little Uchiha, I will teach you what you need to know in order to sit in the Uchiha seat at Council meetings. In return though, you must promise me that you won't let them coerce any decision you make."

Stern eyes froze Sasuke in place "There are many clans who wished to take you in after the massacre. They wanted the power of having the last Uchiha in Konoha under their thumb. I will not tolerate you bending to their will once I've taught you everything you need to know." The stern look softened some a smirk pulled at Shurachi's lips.

"I may not have gotten along well with your father, brother, or any other member of the Uchiha family, but they did have honorable shinobi. I expect you to uphold that honor while serving on the Council." The smirk turned into a smile as Sasuke agreed eagerly. "I'll come find you when it's time for you first lesson Uchiha Sasuke. Until then, prove that you are worthy of the Uchiha seat by being a just and honorable person."

Shurachi stood and helped pull Sasuke up as well. Before he could turn to leave Sasuke bowed. "Thank you Inuzuka-sama." And the boy ran off, presumably to his apartment.

The jyônin chuckled and dusted off his pants before climbing the little hill and continuing on his way home. Maybe he would introduce the Uchiha to Naruto, it would certainly be interesting to watch them interact.

He'd have to get a better feel for the Uchiha before he introduced him to one of his pups though. No matter that they knew each other from the academy, it was always a different experience to meet someone outside of school and usually brought about different interactions. That reminded him, he'd have to visit Naruto's apartment soon and stock his fridge with something other than ramen.

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The first snowfall of winter was spent making snowmen and throwing snow balls at each other at the Inuzuka compound. Hajime and Shino had been invited over by Kiba for dinner while Naruto was practically dragged to the Inuzuka part of town by a determined Shurachi. The Kyuubi holder had been ignoring the vegetables and fruits Shurachi had brought him in favor of salty noodles.

A snow war had broken out shortly after that between the three children, Doku and Akamaru and Hajime. Sometime during the fight Hana had shown up and was also bombarded with snow. Shurachi stayed inside to make dinner, listening to the screams and laughter with a smile.

He was filled with a warmth that had been sorely missed as he thought about his pack playing outside in the snow. Tomorrow he'd visit Koishi and tell him all about the things that had been going on, but now he could bask in the glow of a happy, healthy pack.

The timer for the rice went off and Shurachi finished frying the beef strips. With movements smoothed by much practice, Shurachi set all the dishes on the table. He moved to the door and leaned out of it just enough that they could see him, but not enough that they could get him with snow.

"It's ready everyone, come in and dry off some!" There was a general cheer raised before Shura had to quickly turn and press against the wall or risk being trampled by over eager children.

Wet shoes, coats, scarves, gloves, and socks were left in the front hall and the towels he'd stacked for them were all grabbed. Hana paused long enough to kiss his cheek, making him smile at her, and the dogs made a valiant effort to get everyone even more wet by shaking all the water off their fur.

They all settled around the table, thanked Shura for making them dinner, and displayed various levels of table manners while eating everything enthusiastically. When the first frantic wave of consumption slowed Shura cleared his throat. "So, Hana-neechan, how has the clinic been? Kunimitsu-oji mentioned that someone's been breaking in?"

She frowned and took a bite of one of the rolls he'd made. "It's very strange. They take sedatives usually used for when we have a feral wolf brought in or a dog that's been given to many soldier pills. It's powerful stuff, but it only happens once a month. They also only take enough to put a larger than average canine into a daze rather than the amount needed to affect a human."

Green eyes blinked and a frown pulled at Shurachi's lips. "Is there a set time that it happens? Any days in particular or just randomly once a month?"

Hana tapped her chin with the end of her chop sticks in thought. "It's usually within a week of the full moon, always before and never after. I thought at first that someone was trying to keep a cerberus from it's blood thirst, but you're the only one in the village with a cerberus and you wouldn't steal the medication for it, you'd just ask."

"Full moon? Hmmm…" The only other creature he knew of that would need to be sedated on the full moon is a werewolf, but those lived outside the gate. The only people he knew that had come in from outside the gate and were in Konoha were himself and Lupin Remus.

Green eyes widened as all the little things clicked in his mind. He was rather annoyed with himself for not getting it earlier, it was rather obvious. The scent of wolves around the man that got stronger the closer they were to a full moon, the various scars that a civilian shouldn't have, his knowledge of the various signs used within a pack, even his knowledge about werewolves was a little more than someone who'd only studied them should have.

"I'll see what I can do about it Hana-neechan, maybe we can convince whoever it is to stop stealing it and go through the legal process of buying it properly." Hana nodded absently and sucked a piece of cabbage off her chopsticks.

Kiba, seeing that his mother hadn't reprimanded her for it, attempted to do the same. Immediately green eyes were focused on him in a terrifying way. "Inuzuka Kiba, you did not just slurp cabbage at MY table." The pup gulped and sunk a little in his chair.

"I'm sorry Okaasan, Hana-neechan did it first though!" Shurachi frowned at his sister, annoyed that she was still giggling over him being called mother by their little brother and that she'd displayed such bad table manners in front of Kiba.

Narrowing his eyes at her in a way that promised pain if she didn't comply, Shurachi pointed his chopsticks at both of them in turn. "I don't care if someone else did it first, I know I taught you better manners than that. As for Hana-neechan, she won't EVER do that at my table again, will she?" The evil glare being sent her way was enough to get a squeaked agreement out of the older Inuzuka.

Almost immediately the scary atmosphere dissipated and Shura smiled brightly at everyone. "Well then, since that's settled lets continue eating. I made a special treat for desert so make sure to eat everything on your plate please!" The were many nervous glances thrown Shurachi's way as everyone took care to use the best table manners they could muster to finish their meal.

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Is this better length wise? I was feeling really inspired for some reason, so I wrote all of this. Next chapter we get to find out who's stealing the sedatives and have a little chat Koishi. Please review and let me know what you guys think!!

Taku


	23. Chapter 23

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** Ah yes, the inevitable bane of a fanfiction writers fanfiction. The disclaimer. Because we all know that I own the world and all its literary genius.

**Note::** Long-ish again!! Woooooooo!!! And you all now know who was stealing from the clinic! Should I do the scene where he's a werewolf? Anyway, some Naruto, some Kiba, and some bonding!! D He even talks about Haku…kind of. Shurachi will be going to the wizarding world in the next few chapters, so look forward to that.

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"Ah! Shurachi-kun! Kiba's being mean to me!! Hey, let go!! Ow!" Kiba hurriedly slapped a hand over Naruto's mouth and frowned at the blond.

Shurachi didn't look up from the cookies he was putting into a plastic bag. "Kiba, be nice to Naruto-kun. I left some bento in the fridge for you two, Shino's was sent home with him so he could change clothes and take it to the academy. I expect you to do your work today and get good grades."

The bag of cookies was put into a small pouch at his side and he straightened up. Slightly shaky fingers wiped themselves clean on his apron as he turned to face the door. "I'll be home before dark and I'll be checking your apartment Naruto, so you better have eaten something other than ramen." A pat to both boys heads as he walked passed them and he was out the door.

Naruto frowned a little and pulled Kiba's hand off his mouth. "We don't have school today, it's Sunday. What's wrong with your brother Kiba?"

The Inuzuka glanced at Naruto before sighing quietly. "I guess you wouldn't know about Koishi-nii, would you?" At Naruto's puzzled look Kiba pulled him into the den and pushed him to sit down in one of the chairs.

"A couple years ago my mom was in love with someone. They were as good as married, Koishi-nii was more like my dad than my actual father was. He made it to jyônin before my mom did and helped him get in enough missions to take the jyônin tests. The final mission, the one that usually decided your jyônin partner, was to retrieve a scroll."

Naruto frowned a little and leaned back. "He's a jyônin now though, so why's he all out of it if he's going to visit someone he loves? And how come this Koishi guy has never come by? I've never met him!"

"Actually you have. The first time Kaasan bought you ramen Koishi-nii was there." Kiba scowled at him. "Now shut up so I can get back to the story!" Naruto huffed and crossed his arms but remained quiet.

Kiba cleared his throat and ran his hand down Akamaru's back. "There were enemy nin waiting for him and they chased him back to camp. Kaasan managed to get rid of them before he reached the camp, but when he got there…" Kiba trailed off with a small look of pain on his face.

"Koishi-nii was already dead, there was nothing Kaasan could have done to save him. He wouldn't tell me who killed him, but every year he goes to talk with Koishi-nii. There's a small shrine in the Aburame compound dedicated to him that we visit in the spring, but Kaasan is the only one who visits it today."

Naruto swallowed a little thickly. "Why is it on the Aburame's grounds?"

Akamaru whined quietly to show he shared Kiba's pain as the Inuzuka spoke quietly. "Koishi-nii was Shino's uncle and Hajime-nii's little brother. Kaasan's gourd used to belong to Koishi-nii." Silence filled the den.

Shurachi kept a hand on Doku's head as they walked silently through the village to the Aburame compound. The cloud of insects parted for them without fuss and no one called to them as they made their way to the very back. A wall of shrines had various insects crawling over it.

He stopped at one on the very end and knelt with a small murmured greeting. In silence he lit incense and placed them on the plate. "Happy birthday Koi-chan." A brittle smile tugged at his lips; Doku settled beside him in a regal pose and whined his own greeting.

"Shino and Kiba have been keeping up in school as well as they always have. Iruka says they never pay attention in class, but I make sure they do their homework so they don't fall behind. The little kit that we fed all those years ago is officially under my protection now, just as you predicted."

He laughed a little and wiped at a stray tear. "The Uchiha has asked me to teach him how to be a member of the council now that Itachi has killed their whole clan. I told him I would find him for lessons, but I haven't really tried since then. I suppose I should keep my word, but he looks so much like his brother that I sometimes want to yell at him for taking you away from me."

Shurachi reached into the bag he'd brought and pulled out the sack of cookies. "I brought cookies for us. I know you always complained about your mothering making them on your birthday, but you always did enjoy them." He pulled out two and set them on the offering plate in the shrine before nibbling on one himself.

"Do you remember the wind that always seemed to come when I was upset? I found out what that was. A man named Lupin Remus has asked to hire me for a long term mission and has been teaching how to control that wind. He calls it magic, but it feels like an altered form of chakra to me. Once Kiba and Shino graduate I'm to go back to his home land with him and a team of my choosing."

"Hokage-sama says I may even be able to have Kiba and Shino visit me, or come back to visit them so long as my employer agrees." Shurachi grimaced and pushed some loose hair out of his face. "I don't like the idea of leaving them to fend for themselves, but he knew my old name and I've already agreed to it."

A sigh disturbed some of the insects fluttering around his face. "Also, I may be a pedophile. Well, not really, but I might as well be."

Another small bite of his cookie in order to fight down the small blush dusting his cheeks. "I told you about Haku right? Zabuza's little shadow? He's always been a pup in my mind, one with a crush but still a pup."

"Well, he flared his chakra when he was bathing in the hot springs outside the village and I went to see what was going on. Turns out he'd been practicing with his ice and taking a bath at the same time."

Shurachi fell silent for a little while before continuing in a quiet voice. "His body is much smaller and softer than mine, but it is very obvious he's growing up healthy. I'm glad I couldn't get any of his scent due to the moisture in the air because I'm sure it would carry the hormones of a mating teen."

Some uncomfortable shifting before Shura sighed loudly, the breath misting out of his mouth. "I don't want to do anything about it, he really is only a pup after all, but his body is that of a fully functional male coming into his mating age. I find myself attracted to him despite the fact that he's hardly older than my little Kiba."

"I…I also don't want to forget you. I'm afraid that if I let myself be with someone again, you'll leave me for good." The cookie was finished and Shurachi stood. The small pack was settled on his hip and he dusted off his clothes.

Once he was sure he looked presentable, Shura leaned forward to press a small kiss to the kunai stabbed into the wood of Koishi's shrine. "Please watch over our pups when I leave for my mission Shi-kun. I'll love you always and I'll try to take your advice, but I don't promise anything. I can't say I'll ever be able to love someone as much as I did you, but I promise not to make myself miserable."

He made his way out of the Aburame compound silently and moved instead to his sisters veterinary hospital. People were bustling around with their animals or clipboards as usual. One of his younger cousin noticed him and bowed respectfully before scurrying on her way. He smiled gently at her, feeling very melancholy right then.

Making his way to the store room, he sniffed lightly at the air. Almost immediately the stench of wolf hit his nose and he sneezed. It was old, he'd had Inuzuka guards keeping everyone who wasn't authorized away from the sedatives, so he'd either make a desperate attempt tomorrow or transform without it.

"Shizure, make sure no one, and I mean NO ONE gets passed you until after the full moon. Hana-neechan is the only person allowed access to any form of sedative." The woman nodded and took up a rigid guard position with her canine partner pacing back and forth in front of the stored drugs.

Shurachi smiled briefly at her and left. He headed towards Naruto's apartment, wondering a little amusedly if the blond had actually eaten any of the healthy food he'd brought for him. He'd never listened to Shurachi's threats about his ramen before, so he doubted it.

When he made it to the dingy little apartment he was surprised to smell something other than the salty noodle dish wafting through the air. He didn't bother with the door, instead poking his head through the kitchen window and looking around to try and spot whatever the blond was making.

He could see some strips of meat frying and there was a cutting board full of chopped up vegetables. He could smell some rice in the rice cooker on the opposite counter while Naruto was digging around his cabinet for something.

Silently, Shurachi slipped into the kitchen and crept up behind Naruto. "Hey kid, what are you doing down there?" Naruto yelped and tried to stand up without pulling his head out of the cupboard, resulting in a loud thunk and a muffled whimper.

He managed to pull his head out before trying to straighten again and Shurachi smiled at him. "Are you okay Naruto-kun? You hit your head pretty hard from the sound of it."

The blond nodded, rubbing the back of his head with a grimace. "I'm alright Shurachi-kun. Why did you come by though? I thought you were visiting someone?"

Canines showed as Shurachi grinned at the little jinchuriki "I told you this morning that I'd be coming by the make sure you ate something other than ramen! Did you think I was joking?"

A blush stole over Naruto's cheeks before vanishing as he grinned even wider than Shurachi. "Of course not Shurachi-kun! I even made rice and pork and I was getting ready to make vegetables as well, but I can't find the sauce packet."

Shura snorted "Was it a ramen sauce packet?" At Naruto's meek nod Shurachi sighed and moved around to the fridge. He pulled out milk, some gravy, and then moved to the cupboard for flour and a couple pork bullion cubes. A sauce pan was dug up by Naruto and Shura set to work making a more healthy sauce.

In the meantime, Naruto bustled around the kitchen checking the rice and stirring the pork strips. When Shurachi moved aside a few minutes later and began to put the vegetables in the sauce Naruto scurried over to help.

"Stir that until the sauce thickens then put the meat in. You can eat it however you like so long as you eat it." He ruffled Naruto's hair and moved through the small living room to the front door. "I'll see you later kid, good night." He walked out the door, smiling when he heard Naruto yell after him that he wasn't a kid. Obviously he'd missed it the first time when he hit his head.

A few days later Shurachi was woken from a rather peaceful nights sleep by the insistent barking of a dog. He could usually ignore such things as one of the dogs was always making such noises, but tonight the bark was different. He recognized it as the canine equivalent of his name.

He threw the covers off himself, revealing Doku to have taken Koishi's place beside him, and opened the door. A few whimpers, yips, barks, and whines later he was pulling on his Inuzuka coat and hurrying to his sisters clinic.

When he got to the storage room he found three of his clan members holding a man on the ground while their various dogs circled and growled. His sister was standing off to the side with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

When her brown eyes alighted on him she immediately moved to his side. "Took you long enough Shurachi-chan, he almost got away when we sent Rokuharu out to get you!" Green eyes rolled and Doku snorted beside him.

The scent of wolf was strong in the room, emanating from the man being held to the ground. Ignoring the protests of his pack mates, Shurachi crouched beside the man and took a deep breath. It was definitely the person he'd though it was. "Release him."

Immediately, protests filled the air along with loud barks and some furious growling. Shurachi stood and snarled in a horribly frightening way, baring formidable fangs at each person and canine in turn until they all quieted and moved away from the man. He didn't move, didn't try to get away. He knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against the Alpha of the Inuzuka Pack.

"You should have gone through the proper channels in order to get what you needed. I would have been happy to have you supervised and enclosed in a specialized portion of the forest that I use to let my adolescent cerberus exercise. It would have been safer for both you and any wandering villagers."

The man curled further in on himself and Shurachi growled. "Well? What have you got to say for yourself Lupin-san? Have you any justification for putting my village in danger, letting a dangerous canine roam my territory, and stealing from my pack?"

A golden eye peered out at him from behind dirty blond hair. "I have no defense except to say that I wanted to sleep through the whole process in order to avoid attacking anyone." Shurachi snorted and reached down to grab the mans arm.

"The medicine you stole was designed for Inuzuka dogs specifically. It takes a lot to knock them out and the amounts of normal drugs that would be needed could be deadly. You should have let someone know that you needed something for a larger than average wolf, you could have killed yourself by overdosing on sedatives." Sharp fangs were again displayed and this time Remus rolled onto his back and whined.

Green eyes closed as Shura pinched the bridge of his nose, moving his glasses to stave off a headache. "The full moon is in two days. Until that time you will be confined to a secured room in the Inuzuka compound. When your time to transform comes we will move you to a sealed portion of the forest to play with the pack. After that a proper punishment will be decided."

When the man looked ready to protest Shurachi frowned at him. "Don't even bother to try and get help from someone else. Hokage-sama recognized you as a guest of the village when you requested me for a mission. You would be immediately expelled from the village and banned from hiring any Konoha shinobi for missions. Be happy that you're only being dealt with by my pack."

Remus dropped his eyes to the side and nodded. At a motion from Shurachi the pair of Inuzuka that had originally been set to guard him hauled him to his feet and escorted him out of the storage room. Hana frowned deeply at the retreating forms then turned a confused look on Shurachi.

"Oi, otouto? What the hell just happened and why are you letting him off so light? He was stealing Inuzuka specialty sedatives from my hospital!" She glared at Shurachi, ignoring the whine of her own dog beside her.

Glasses were replaced on Shura's nose before he answered. "Hana-neechan, he had a valid reason for needing those drugs, he just went about getting them the wrong way. The punishment I laid down so far is no different than what any other member of our pack would get, though his is being done a little differently due to a creature having been sealed inside of him. Once his one night of transformation is through we'll have until the next full moon to make him serve a suitable punishment."

Hana still looked annoyed, but she nodded anyway and shoved Shurachi out of the store room. "You'd better get home, I'm sure that little mama's boy Kiba is going to be worried sick about you if you aren't there when he wakes up." Shurachi laughed, but did as he was told and made his way home.

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So what do you think? Let me know guys! Maybe some werewolf next time and perhaps a little Sasuke as well if enough people boost my flagging spirits. I just got over Strep Throat and am now possibly infected with the flu as well as changing pills so everything is all stress-y and painful and I cry a lot right now for absolutely no reason. So make me feel better by telling me what you REALLY think of my story.

Guy

ZOMG! Passes out Is he like Wolverine?!?! Tha's fricken cewl!! I wish I could write so good! But why did you make it slash? That kid af runed the storie.

I'm not going to slam on this person as they aren't being mean to me. I would, however, like to respond to your review since you didn't leave a way to contact you. No, he's not like Wolverine. His claws are natural and not very large. Think Kiba's claws when he was fighting Naruto in the chûnin exams.

I'm sorry you dislike slash, but I did warn you that it would be slash in the summary. Also, you should work on your English/spelling as it is horrendous. I'm not trying to be mean, but it's only luck that let me read your last sentence.

Taku


	24. Chapter 24

**Rating:: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings::** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer::** So I went to an amateur writing group in order to talk about some stories we'd been writing and they told me, as crazy as it is, that I don't own Harry Potter OR Naruto! That my name wasn't JK Rowling or Kishimoto and I just broke down right there. My life was a lie!

**Note::** Okay, sorry for not posting last week. Here's the chapter! A bit of Remus, a bit of Sasuke, a bit of the pups, and even bright orange shinobi! Enjoy and tell me what you think alright? Sorry guys, I tried posting it yesterday, but it wouldn't let me put it up. -frown-

**EDIT::** I forgot to put it earlier, but Kinobu is the cerberus puppy.

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Shurachi listened to the crack and pop of bones echoing through the silent patch of forest. His three massive heads were resting on paws the size of serving trays and a thick tail was lazily resting on the ground.

His cerberus form was more wolf like than anything else, but he preferred to have it that way when he'd seen pictures of other animagus that had attempted it. They all ended up looking like demented lap dogs that had eaten on of the Akimichi's growth pills.

On final, resounding snap mad his middle head look up and check on the writhing figure on the ground. Remus had stilled and his scent was almost completely hidden by the wolf. Behind him Kinobu stopped making fake attacks on his stationary tail to his left head against Shurachi's side.

A quiet yip lifted his own left head to answer the inquisitive sound with a quiet growl. Kinobu didn't get a chance to respond to the warning. A loud howl erupted where Remus had been transforming as a large wolf pushed itself shakily to its paws. Golden eyes opened when the head lowered and eyed the pair of demonic dogs on the other side of the small grassy area he found himself in.

The lethargy he remembered from his last few awakenings wasn't there this time and the fresh scents of a forest filtered through his nose. Padfoot wasn't there this time either, but at least he wasn't alone.

A hesitant bark was answered by a confident huff and Moony's tail and ears perked. "Who?" He asked excitedly and the large dog, at least twice as large as himself, stood with the pup by his side.

"I am Alpha." Moony's ears immediately flattened against his head and his tail tucked itself under and out of the way of sharp teeth.

This dog was alpha? Moony wasn't sure he liked the idea of that, he'd always been alpha in his packs before. But this wasn't his forest and this dog certainly was his pack. Perhaps he could play with this ones pack for tonight though?

Well, if nothing else, he would certainly make sure he was allowed to use the dogs territory for the night. Carefully watching both canine before him, Moony crawled forward on his belly then rolled and exposed all his vulnerable parts.

Three massive heads lowered to sniff at him and the middle one opened it's jaws to lightly bite his stomach. His entire abdomen fit in the massive mouth. Then the dog was sitting back and an echoing, triple pitched howl filled the forest. Answering calls came closer and closer until a large group of dogs burst from various places to join them.

"Pack brother, you are well?" Doku asked over the din of playful growls and yelps. Shurachi lowered himself back to a laying position so Doku could climb onto him as well as the few pups that were old enough to be let out of their mothers sight.

It was the right head that lifted to nudge Doku reassuringly. "I am perfectly fine Doku. No wolf is strong enough to take me down when I am like this and you know it. How are my pups?"

The smaller dog sighed and flopped down to lay beside Shura. "The pup that understands us is confused as to why you won't be there tonight since he knows you don't have a mission, but the one that shares your Drainers is keeping him company."

The closest thing to a smirk a dog could managed pulled at the corner of Doku's mouth. "Young Akamaru has been trying to eat the other pup's Drainers and has so far managed to only fall off various pieces of furniture."

Shurachi rumbled out a deep laugh and settled his heads back down for a nap. He had no reason to worry about Remus being a threat when so many Inuzuka dogs were keeping him company.

When green eyes opened again the sun was gently peering over the horizon and pained snarls were taking on the sound of human vocals. Finally the tone of a canine voice fell away to an entirely human one and the screaming stopped. Harsh breathing filled the air and those green eyes focused on the naked body.

Kikai crawled through him and out before magic rippled over him and his form shrank back into a human. The kikai swirled around him once before settling on his upper body and carefully slipping back into their hive.

"Lupin Remus; you will be taken to the family's personal physician for recovery then you will report to the main house for punishment. It has been decided that you will no longer be permitted inside the inner buildings of the Inuzuka compound, you will have no contact with any Inuzuka pup, and you will lose any status you may have gained through your association with us. The outer buildings are still open to your use as they are to all villagers and you are expected to report at the main building every full moon so you may change safely."

Golden eyes lowered themselves from the Alpha's emotionless face and his head tilted absently to expose his throat. He deserved his punishment, he should have known better than to try stealing from a clan who raised professional thieves. He closed his eyes as the soft sound of footsteps came closer to him and tensed when Shurachi crouched down beside him.

A calloused hand settled on his chest and warm breath fanned out over his throat. "You will not take from my pack without permission again Lupin Remus. What you did could have killed you, your wolf, and any Inuzuka dog that might have needed the sedatives you stole." With every word a gush of air rushed over his throat.

Remus twitched, as if to move away, and a soft growl froze his body. Sharp teeth settled over his Adam's apple and applied pressure. He remained tense for several seconds before his entire body went limp and the teeth released him. "Mikaro, Yagumi!" Remus opened his eyes at the bark and two thumps drew his attention.

A pair of twins, because they couldn't be anything else, stood side by side a little ways away from them. The male had grown out his brown hair to match his sisters length and identical brown eyes watched them. The only difference he could see between really was the fact that the female had a small swelling on her chest that indicated breasts.

"Take Lupin-san to Saichi's and make sure he doesn't leave until he's in full health. After that escort him to the Main building for his formal sentencing. An announcement will be made tonight so the whole clan knows what his punishment is." The pair of them bowed before Yagumi carefully lifted the naked man and Mikaro draped a blanket over him.

The three of them darted out of the clearing in the direction of the small hospital on the Inuzuka grounds and Shurachi surveyed the clearing briefly before turning the opposite way to head home.

Kiba immediately came up to hug him, the usual reaction after Shurachi got back from a mission, and Shino quietly waited for his friend to let go before moving to hug Shura as well. Several of his kikai switched hives to make sure his surrogate Uncle was truly alright.

"It was not a dangerous thing, so no need to worry pups. I do have something to do today that you can't come with me for so where do you want to be while I'm gone? Either the Aburame Compound, here, or somewhere with an adult to watch over you." Shurachi ruffled both of their hair as they made faces at the thought of being watched.

Both boys looked at each other before Kiba grinned widely and turned innocent eyes on his mother. "Can we go to Naruto's place Kaasan? Cousin Mikaro and Yagumi are always watching him for you and if they aren't there then Ray and Shuuichi are always there." Shurachi hummed a little in the back of his throat before slowly nodding.

"I don't see why you can't, but I better not hear of anything happening while you're there. I had to sit through a lecture from Chiaru Totsuke because you three somehow managed to dye all of the hot spring water orange." The grin widened on Kiba's face and Shino made a soft noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

Green eyes narrowed "Not to mention the fact that several chûnin and jyônin had to be taken off duty because they could no longer hide efficiently since their skin was bright orange. That prank could have cost the village several clients if I hadn't ordered some of the clans personal shinobi to take the orange shinobi's places." The laughter stopped and Kiba winced.

Brown eyes lifted to meet green before lowering a little and Shino avoided eye contact all together. "We promise not to do something that could bring trouble on our clan or village Okaasan." Shurachi nodded and headed into the kitchen to quickly make three bento lunches for the boys.

He watched the pair from his doorway as they hopped across buildings to the edge of the Inuzuka compound and then jumped down into the street. They'd just learned how to use chakra to let someone travel across rooftops or tree branches and were using the skill as often as they could.

About an hour later found Shurachi heading toward the Uchiha compound with a small bundle attached to his back and Doku faithfully at his side. They arrived in the deserted area and moved unerringly toward the apartment Sasuke had chosen to stay in.

Despite how odd the gesture felt, Shurachi knocked on the door and waited for Sasuke to open it before slipping inside. "Are you ready to learn how to serve on the Council?" Sasuke blinked at him before slowly nodding with a small frown. "Good. Here's a book that has all the rules and rituals involved with being a member of the Council. I also borrowed the scroll that has the Uchiha Council member's attire written down in it. This is the Hokage's copy, so don't lose it."

Both things were set onto the table holding various items by the door. "This is the Uchiha formal robes, I had them made a little large so that when you make genin they'll fit you perfectly. I want you to try these on once I leave and get used to sitting in them for a little while before you go to bed." Blue hakama and a white haori with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back was unfolded for him to view. There was no under shit though, and he frowned in confusion.

"What do I wear under it?" His voice seemed very small compared to the confidence with which Inuzuka Shurachi spoke.

Green eyes wrinkled behind silver framed glasses as a pink mouth pulled into a smile. "Anything you like. There isn't any protocol for the under garments so long as you have these on. I would suggest something that matches the color scheme though." Sasuke blushed a little in embarrassment, but nodded to show he understood.

For nearly three hours the pair of them went through various rules and scenarios, stopping only briefly for lunch, before Shurachi was satisfied with Sasuke's first lesson. He stood to leave and nudged Doku, who had fallen asleep, with his foot. "You will be graduating soon Uchiha-kun, I will be by a couple more times to help coach you through some council meetings, but you will have to read the book and scroll."

Sasuke nodded his agreement and moved to see Shurachi to the door. "Thank you for this Inuzuka-sama." Shurachi watched the fidgeting youth quietly. It was very obvious he wasn't used to being indebted to someone or thanking them for anything.

Instead of dangling the gratitude over Sasuke's head like he was half tempted to do, Shurachi tugged the smaller male into his arms. "You can thank me by becoming a good shinobi for the village Uchiha-kun." He gently released his and moved out the door with a barking Doku. Obviously the dog was eager to get moving after staying still for so long.

A small spark of warmth pushed away the resentment that Sasuke's appearance had caused in him as Shurachi walked slowly toward his home. Itachi's face no longer superimposed itself over Sasuke's in his mind and the tension he hadn't noticed before flowed out of him.

The Uchiha heir would make a great shinobi, he just needed someone that could put aside the fact that he is an Uchiha to help him through his grief. Shurachi wasn't sure if he could bring himself to be that person, but he could tell himself without doubt that he wouldn't turn the boy away if he were to come to him. He wouldn't hold Itachi's mistakes to Sasuke.

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Well, since this person didn't leave me a way to contact them, I'll just have to go through the review here.

From: Donde esta?

holy shit do you ever plan on going to hogwarts. thats probably the only  
reason people have been reading this is to see the cultural clash.

First things first, if you want to leave rude reviews at least put something for me to contact you and answer your questions. Several people have asked me when I plan to go to Hogwarts and I've told them that it would take a few chapters. As it stands now, Kiba will be graduating in the next chapter and Shurachi will at least be making arrangements to go to Europe with Remus.

I am perfectly happy to answer questions so long as the review isn't done in an angry way. Such things tend to kill my eagerness for writing and your review certainly contributed to the lateness of this chapter. Also, if you plan on insulting me in a vague fashion, at least have the courtesy to put in proper punctuation. There were no commas or capital letters in your whole review. Make yourself look a little smarter when expressing very unfounded anger.

Please read and review everyone! I want to know what you think alright? Just try not to be hurtful with it because I changed medications recently and am prone to randomly bursting into tears. -grin-

Taku


	25. Chapter 25

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** I was so close, SO DAMN CLOSE, to reaching level 36 and then BAM! I was Pked by some idiot claiming he was getting revenge for the creators of Naruto and Harry Potter! Said that I wasn't the person the who wrote them and ran off after laughing in my n00b face! JERK!

**Note:** So I lied, they aren't going anywhere this chapter. That's okay though! I can promise for real that they start on their way next chapter! There's even some Haku and stuff next chapter! I know that will make some of you happy. -laughs- I wasn't expecting the graduation to take up so much space. T-T

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A slow grin spread over Shurachi's face as he slowly opened a letter from the Academy. He vaguely remembered his mother opening a similar letter all those years ago and couldn't help feeling warm at the thought of sharing such an experience with her. An official invitation to watch his younger brothers graduation.

The wording was something that made him smile even more considering it was his uncle that headed the Academy.

Dear Inuzuka-sama,

It is my great pleasure to invite you to the graduation ceremony of you pup for this years genin exams. The exam will be held during normal school hours and festivities will begin as soon as the last student is tested. Formal dress is not required and all Inuzuka dogs that attend will be provided with food for the evening.

He would have to find a more festive kimono to wear, or perhaps just a yukata. Either way he was going to dress up for this occasion just like his mother had done for his sister. His father hadn't come to his graduation, to caught up in the grief of his wife's death, but his sister had come along with one of his aunts and they'd both dressed up for it.

A brief tapping on the kitchen window had him looking up. Hajime was waving at his through the small window, an envelope just like the one he held in his hand. Shurachi motioned toward the back door with a small smirk and waited for Hajime to come through and into the kitchen.

"I take it you've already read your letter?" Hajime asked, noting the torn envelope and the partially folded piece of paper on the counter.

Green eyes sparkled as Shurachi smiled softly at the Aburame. "Yes I have Hajime-nii, have you?" The bug user nodded with a grin much more exuberant than Shura's and darted forward to sweep the smaller male into a tight hug.

Fake sobbing noises made his ear twitch a little as Hajime dramatically wailed that his baby was growing up until Shura firmly planted his knee in the others groin. "That's what you get for shouting in the ear of an Inuzuka. Now, what are your plans for after the festivities at the school?"

Hajime gave him a wounded look, silently thanking his forethought in wearing protective gear that day. "I figured that Shino would probably want to celebrate with Kiba and I knew you would already have something planned so I just figured I'd go along with whatever you wanted." He shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Shurachi laughed quietly and moved passed Hajime, briefly touching his arm in apology for kneeing him. "I thought we could take them and whoever their teammates are out to eat. I know my cooking gets old after a while." He winked at the Aburame and tossed him an apple, biting into his own seconds later.

The playful atmosphere dampened slightly when Hajime caught his fruit and red eyes focused on the serious looking Shurachi. "You don't mind Uzumaki Naruto coming along do you? I know you dislike that I've taken him under my protection, but you won't be rude to him if he comes out to eat with us will you?"

Usually smiling lips pursed and red eyes looked away briefly before the languid frame stiffened. "I will be polite, but I can't promise that I will be nice. My wife died in the Kyuubi attack, leaving me alone with Shino and the prospect of leading my clan. I can't help but dislike the idea of being in the same room as the Kyuubi and not killing it, but I'll refrain from being mean."

A young face seemed to age and the braids left loose around his head seemed to droop somehow. "He isn't the Kyuubi, Hajime-nii. No more than I am a missing nin or Shino is a kikaichu. I know you don't want to think about it, but if you just got to know him you wouldn't think he was the same as that fox." Hajime opened his mouth and protest and Shura quickly snatched up Hajime's apple and stuffed it in his mouth.

"I know you won't do that though, so I guess I'll just have to content myself with you being reasonable for once." He smiled a little sadly and took another bite out of his own apple. "Now, you were planning on dressing up nicely for their graduation weren't you?" The glint in his eye made Hajime gulped hesitantly and nod. He knew that look, it was the same look the said 'Do-what-I-say-or-I'll-carve-out-your-kikai-with-a-rusty-spoon' and he rather liked being in one piece thank you.

Several days later found Shurachi decked out in his most festive appearance yet. His long hair had been left unbraided for once and was styled in a sloppy, yet somehow elegant bun like structure at the back of his head with random wisps floating about his face. He wore gold a gold yukata with a festive red kimono over it and a complicated obi that had taken Hajime nearly ten minutes to figure out.

He'd decorated his eyes with sweeping gold and red paint, smiling as he thought of what Kiba's reaction to his mother actually taking the time to make himself look like a noble woman would be. His little brother was always trying to make him look feminine when he let him pick the festival wear and this would hopefully dissuade him from continuing that practice as well as make it easier for the parents who'd never met him to accept that he was Kiba's 'mother'.

Hajime had dressed similar to himself, only in the men's counterpart. His also had the red replaced with black. They looked very much like a lord and his noble wife, as a laughing Hana had been quick to point out. It just sucked that his death glares didn't affect her.

He settled in a chair and smiled as the Hokage blinked at him from the stage. It was well known he viciously disabused people of any thoughts about him being anything but masculine as soon as they showed themselves. Anyone outside of his pack that was. Several other shinobi he knew from various missions also gave him surprised looks, but he mostly ignored them.

A few seats down from him, Remus was looking up hesitantly and then fixing his gaze to the floor as soon as it caught Shura's attention. It had been a few months since his sentencing and Shurachi was slowly giving him back some of his privileges. Just the other day he'd been allowed back into the family library when he'd needed to do some research on the process behind dog summons.

Apparently he was concerned that there could be a way for enemy shinobi to summon werewolves if any of them ever found out about them. He wanted to make sure there was a way to prevent that from happening before it ever did.

Shurachi kept his impassive gaze on the older male for several long seconds before turning back up to the Hokage. Doku huffed a little at how long it was taking for the parents to settle, making Shurachi chuckle at his impatience. He smoothed his hand over the dogs head nonetheless and shared a small look with Hajime. The Aburame was already playing some bizarre form of hide and seek with his kikai. He'd hide a piece of lint somewhere on his body, making sure they couldn't see, and they'd find it.

He was just beginning to contemplate starting his own game when the Hokage cleared his throat and everyone's attention turned to the stage.

Sarutobe smiled out at all of the people who had come to support the next generation of shinobi and began to speak. "Of all the hopeful young shinobi that enter the academy, very few actually make it to this point in their career. Not everyone is cut out to be one of Konohagakure's shadowed protectors, but tonight we honor those that are."

His smile widened as Shurachi felt the excited chakra in the air thicken. "All of the young men and women that cross this stage tonight have studied hard and earned their rightful place among the ranks of the genin." A deafening cheer rose and Shurachi winced at the abuse to ears, carefully covering them with his hands until the enthusiasm had dwindled.

Various names were called the official papers that they would need as shinobi were handed to them once they'd reached the Hokage. All of them wore their newly awarded hitai-ate and all of them had some sort of pleased expression on their face.

When Shino was called Shura sat up straighter and threw a wide smile up at the younger male. He saw red eyes catch on himself and Hajime and his smile widened into a grin as he clapped energetically. Kiba's entrance onto stage was a little more violent than Shino's. Considering Iruka was trying to get Akamaru to stay back stage and Kiba was running from him with the pup held tightly in his arms.

He barely paused long enough to snatch up his papers and bow respectfully to the Hokage before jumping off the stage and scrambling to dump Doku in his mothers arms. When Shura leveled a somewhat amused, but mostly stern, look at him he merely smiled and waved a little before darting backstage once more. Iruka stomped off the stage as well; the Hokage having had to pause in calling out names in order to get his laughter under control giving the teacher enough time to escape and probably hunt Kiba down.

Sasuke came on stage, and though he was very discreet about it, Shura noticed his small glances out at the silent crowd. His dark eyes landed on Shurachi, widened a little, and his posture became a little more formal as if he were trying to prove that the lessons he'd gotten hadn't been wasted. He accepted his papers from the Hokage, bowed gracefully, and walked calmly off stage.

Afterward, when all the parents and children were meeting up outside, Shurachi made sure to settle his hand briefly on Sasuke's shoulder to show his approval before Kiba jumped on his back and knocked his balance off enough to stumble into Hajime.

"I did it Kaasan! I passed the test and became a shinobi just like you and Hajime-nii!" Shurachi laughed openly, causing several people to paused and look at him oddly for his decidedly male voice. "Me and Shino, we passed and can go on missions now so you don't have to worry about us so much. We can take care of ourselves!"

He beamed proudly at his mother from his position on Shura's back and reached a hand down to help Shino clamber onto the small male. The Aburame declined, but he did come up and hug Shurachi tightly while murmuring something about how Shura couldn't attack them for grades anymore.

Through the entire after ceremony gathering, green eyes kept a look out for a flash of orange. He didn't see it and worried that Naruto was alone after having failed the graduation exam. Hajime noticed his agitation, but he offer any ideas to help as he was rather relieved he wouldn't have to put up with the Kyuubi brat.

It wasn't until a messenger dog woke him in the middle of the night that he got an idea of what might have happened to his little blond pup. Said idea was confirmed when the Hokage gave his orders and Shurachi found himself desperately hoping someone friendly would find Naruto if he didn't manage it in time.

When the search was called off he met up with everyone else in front of the Hokage monument. The flash of bright sunshiny color next to Iruka drew his attention immediately and, without care to who was watching, Shurachi immediately swept forward and pulled Naruto into his arms.

"Uzumaki Naruto! How dare you disappear and make me worry like that? What if you'd been hurt? What if you'd been brat snatched?! Doku couldn't pick up your scent anywhere and creepy old men roam the village at night! When I get you home you'll wish you'd NEVER even THOUGHT about vanishing like that when I have plans to take everyone out for a special dinner! So help me, not even an Aburame will be able to find all your pieces once I'm through!"

He paused to take a calming breath and continued to squeeze the air out of Naruto. Various jyônin and chûnin watched with amused faces as the blond slowly turned blue under Shurachi's hug-of-doom. "Now then Naruto, are you alright?" A weak nod from Naruto and Shurachi released him from his death grip. He still kept a firm hold of his shoulder, but at least he could breath now.

"Now we're sure Naruto-kun is safe and sound, why don't you explain to us why you took this scroll." Sarutobe turned questioning eyes on the blond who was frowning at the ground. "Naruto-kun?"

Blue eyes glanced up, then looked back down as something akin to shame filtered through Naruto. "Mizuki-sensei said that if I memorized one technique from that scroll then I would automatically graduate. I didn't know that it was a forbidden scroll, he just described to me what it looked like."

Shurachi's hand tightened on his shoulder and Naruto glanced up briefly to see that green eyes were narrowed and thin glasses had fallen down Shurachi's nose. It was obvious he was very angry, but Naruto was afraid to ask if that anger was for him. Shurachi was the only adult that really liked him. Even if all the Inuzuka's were nice to him it was still obvious they wouldn't bother if it weren't for Shurachi.

Most everyone could feel the angry chakra pouring off of the Inuzuka alpha and sent almost pitying glances at the suddenly fearful Mizuki. "Naruto-pup, do you mean to tell me that Mizuki, a man entrusted the safety of our young shinobi, the man my uncle only hired because he was 'Good with Children', tricked you into stealing a forbidden scroll filled with techniques held close to Konoha?" Naruto nodded a little hesitantly.

Wind picked up around the group and various sticks, rocks, and leaves began to pelt into Mizuki with unfailing accuracy. "I request permission to be on the interrogation team for the traitor Mizuki Hokage-sama. As his former clan head I feel it is my duty to make sure it was not the clans doing that prompted him to betray the village." The silent ' and no one hurts my pups without feeling my retribution' went unsaid.

No one felt any pity when the Hokage agreed.

Naruto continued to watch the ground as Shurachi lead him toward the Inuzuka part of town. He didn't look up when a sleepy Kiba and slightly more awake Shino peered out of Kiba's room in question. He didn't even look up when he gently settled onto Shurachi's futon in the older males room.

He was forced to lift his head when Shurachi place a hand under his chin and lifted it though. Suspiciously glassy blue eyes made every effort not to meet concerned green. "Naruto-kun, what were you thinking? You know stealing from the Hokage's office is usually considered treason. If I hadn't talk to Sarutobe-sama before the search began you would have been locked away for interrogation along with Mizuki."

Naruto flinched and finally met Shurachi's gaze. The second he did hot, fat tears began to cascade down his cheeks and he sniffled quietly. "I'm sorry Shurachi-kun. It's just, I've failed the graduation exam every time I've taken it and they always choose my worst jutsu to make sure I can't become a genin. When Mizuki-sensei offered a way for me to finally graduate I couldn't help but want it." He sniffled a little and wiped at the tears streaming out of his eyes.

Shurachi lifted the sleeve of his house robe and gently wiped his cheeks dry. "You would still be welcome in my home even if you were a civilian Naruto, you don't have to prove anything to anybody, especially not those jerks who think up the exam."

Naruto gave him a watery smile. "I know Shurachi-kun, but you're always so nice to me I felt like I had somehow let you down when I failed again."

Doku whined a little and scooted forward to licked at Naruto's cheek, barking that they would love him like their own pup even if he never became one of the hunters that protected the den. Shurachi didn't translate, but he didn't really have to. Naruto understood what Doku meant by that bark and smiled brighter, throwing his arms around the large dogs neck to hug him in thanks. "I love you too Doku."

The blond yawned widely, his jaw popping. Shura chuckled and gently pulled Naruto's shoes off his feet, tugged his jacket off his shoulders, and picked some twigs from his hair. "You may have managed to make genin with this little stunt, but your still just a pup and you need your sleep. Rest here tonight and tomorrow we'll have a proper graduation celebration for all of my new little genin."

He winked at a giggling Naruto and settled him on the futon, tucking the blanket around him tightly and watching the usual pack of younger dogs settle around the boy on the bed for sleep. "Sleep tight Naruto, and rest easy." A sleepy smile was his only answer and he moved to tuck his other two pups in as they'd fallen asleep sprawled on the floor of Kiba's room once he'd gotten home.

He wasn't looking forward to his next meeting with Lupin Remus. Now that Kiba was officially a genin he didn't have any reason to deny the long term mission the werewolf wanted to hire him for. With any luck it wouldn't take him to long to do whatever it was he was supposed to do. The thought of leaving all of his pups alone and at the mercy of the village was enough to keep him up for the rest of the night.

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Alright-y! This is a week "late" even though I don't really give myself a deadline. Sorry guys, but Easter Weekend with family comes before my obsession. I hope you all got sick on candy or threw fluffy bombs of cuteness at each other like I did! A giant stuffed lamb to the head really wonders for the sinuses you know.

Let me know what you think okay?

Thanks for reading, now go review!

Taku


	26. Chapter 26

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** Taku's unable to confirm or DENY the truth behind the rumors of Taku's ownership over Naruto/Harry Potter. Why you ask? Taku's stuck in a meeting with a bunch of lawyers pleading for the Authors life.

**Note:** So I'm sure you've noticed that we've gone from quad monthly to bimonthly updates, there is a reason for this. I won't be updating for a while because I'm leaving for New York City on the 16th and won't have access to my computer. As such, I finished the ItachiShura AU thing-y and put it up in Puppies of a Feather to make up for my uncoolness.

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It took a week, but Shurachi was finally standing in the Hokage's office with Lupin Remus in a chair in front of the desk and three other shinobi standing patiently behind him. The thought of taking a mission outside out his world rankled on him, knowing he wouldn't be able to rush to his pups aid raised his hackles, and Lupin's excited scent didn't help at all.

"So the payment is settled. You only have them as long as they are willing to stay and any deaths will be taken into account when you are charged." The excited scent faded a little, replaced by anxiety.

"Deaths?" He asked, a little hesitant.

Sarutobi smiled sharply, enjoying his revenge on the Inuzuka clan leaders behalf. "Yes. Many shinobi are the soul income for their families. The village gives the family of any lost shinobi a monthly stipend that is directly proportional to any and all missions the shinobi took during life."

More nervousness peppered the air and Shurachi smiled a little at the Hokage. "If a shinobi mainly took high risk, high paying missions then that is the income the family will receive. For long term missions this income falls on the customers shoulders. Failure to pay this monthly support will result in retribution on the customers entire family."

There was a spike of fear, but also relief. Almost as if he wasn't worried about not being able to pay should one of them die.

This irritated Shurachi slightly, but he ignored it in favor of getting things over with. "We will leave immediately, I don't want to be away for to long." Understanding shuffling came from the shinobi behind him and the office quickly emptied.

Two days into the journey that would take them to the gateway between the dimensions they had to stop for the night. When they'd done so before it had always been for a few hours in the daylight so they wouldn't be caught unawares in the dark. Remus couldn't keep such a schedule however, and so they set up camp for a proper night of rest; at least, a proper night of rest for their client.

Shurachi was switching his post as watcher with Hajime when an enticing scent wafted over his nose. It was enough to cover the ever growing stench of wolf that filled the camp and he tilted his head to catch more of it. Hajime took notice, and recognized the move from when his brother had still been alive.

"Something smell good Shura-chan?" He murmured, careful not to wake any of the others.

His companion shot him a mildly annoyed look and motioned for him to be quiet. The scent grew stronger in his nose and he took a step toward it. "I'm going to check out what it is, if anything happens at camp while I'm gone send Doku for me."

The dog whined quietly, not liking the idea of being left behind, but a look from Shurachi quieted him. There would be much petting to make up for this, but he would let his human go without him this once.

Hajime merely nodded, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop him anyway, and Shurachi was off. His form flitted through the trees as if he were on the ground and that tantalizing scent thickened until he could hardly smell anything else.

Something was wrong with it though; was trying to cover it from him. He could smell another on the wind. When he came upon the clearing that held Haku and an unknown boy, Shurachi was less than coherent. The instincts screaming in him were just barely kept in check by his uncertainty toward the smaller male.

When the quiet grunt of whoever that other boy was reached his ears, followed closely by Haku's loud moan, those misgivings fled his mind quickly. The scent of quickening arousal and another male on what was his was enough to trigger the mating reflex all Inuzuka men carried thanks to the family jutsu.

Without thought to what he was doing, Shurachi dropped silently into the clearing and stalked toward the pair. Haku opened his eyes in time to see Shurachi looming menacingly over them and found himself unable to even call a warning before the boy atop him was roughly removed by the scruff of his neck.

"What," snarled Shurachi, flashing sharp canines, "did you think you were doing, exactly?" Haku shivered at the menacing voice and pulled his decorative kimono closed enough to appear decent, if not coy.

Urine scented the air as the boy wet his pants, which Shurachi was satisfied to note had barely been undone. "W-we were just-!"

He didn't get a chance to finish his plea as Shurachi shook him once roughly and shot him a look of disgust. "I wasn't talking to you boy, I was talking to him." Again, green eyes pierced Haku.

Red stained pale cheeks as he looked away, feeling suddenly ashamed. "I was just curious Inuzuka-san."

If it were possible, the boy held tight in Shurachi's grasp paled further and mouthed the name at Haku, who refused to look in his direction.

"And you didn't think to ask Zabuza about it? Go to someone who wouldn't be such a…disgrace?" He sneered at the reek of more unpleasant things leaking from the boy and tossed him to the side. He didn't waste any time in scrambling away from them and into the forest.

Neither really noticed as they were to focused on each other. "I did talk with him about it, he said to find a village boy and test out my seduction skills."

Goose flesh crawled over Shurachi as the scent of Haku's arousal spiked suddenly. Brown eyes had flickered to his form briefly and he had to bite his tongue to keep from dropping atop the younger man.

"Besides Inuzuka-san, it isn't like I belong to you."

There was hurt in those words, longing so obvious that not even Shurachi could miss it. The need to claim this willing sacrifice flared sharply, calling to him more than the memory of Koishi ever had. He could feel the old spark igniting, blazing hot and bright in wait for the fuel it craved.

Before he knew it he'd taken that extra step and straddled the prone form below him. He kept his hands clenched at his thighs, desperate to gain some sort of control over himself.

Teary eyes turned up at him, pleading quietly. "Why are you so reluctant Inuzuka-san? Am I so unappealing to you?" Haku sniffled quietly and raised a silken sleeve to wipe at the tears slowly trailing down his cheeks.

He shattered, falling into a million razor edged pieces that cut his skin until he bled. Slicing everything that made sense, everything he should have considered, in favor of the pliant body beneath him. The tight seal he'd had on his hands, his lips, was violently ripped open on the pieces of his mind.

Fingers lightly trailed over wet cheeks, gently wiping the moisture away, and pink lips parted to utter those damning words. "You can't be with another, not for a mission, and certainly not for pleasure. You will be mine alone to hold and touch."

Haku's breath caught at the implications of the words, but Shurachi continued heedless to the gasp. "Inuzuka do not share and even the scent of another on you will be intolerable. I cannot take you back to my pack just yet, but if I find you have let another touch you as I will…" He trailed off and let the threat hang in the air.

Green eyes softened as a choked sob escape the smaller male and pale arms lifted to wrap around his neck. "Please Inuzuka-san, please?"

Calloused fingers ran through mussed hair, tugging briefly. "You have no need to be so formal with me lovely one."

Chapped lips caught moistened pink in a promising kiss and the scent, while still strong, loosened its hold on him enough that he could pull himself back to reality. The warm glow in his eyes remained, but the intense feeling about him lessened back to the gentle feeling Haku had always gotten around the Inuzuka clan leader.

"I must go, but I will return for you." Shurachi removed himself completely from Haku and stood back up. "No more village boys." Haku could only nod, small sniffles escaping him as he watched his lover? Boyfriend? Lord? Walk away from him.

Zabuza and Shurachi passed each other and the message that passed between them, silent as it was, was understood. Shurachi would entrust Haku to Zabuza until he could claim him properly.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, not even the attack of some bandits really stirred the shinobi from their indifferent feelings toward this mission. When they reached the land of ice, and the gate, it was only a little trepidation that made each of them pause, look about their home world, and then step through.

On the other side of the portal was a place full of bustling people, screeching pets, chattering children, and the whistle of a candy red steam train. Remus relaxed for the first time in over a year and smiled widely at the tensed shinobi.

"Welcome gentlemen, to wizarding Britain's finest method of muggle travel. Platform Nine and Three Quarters."

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Please review guys!

Taku


	27. Chapter 27

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** So I was staying in Harlem right? And some guy comes up to me and is all "You got a dollar? I need to take a train ride downtown." And I'm all "Do I look like I have a dollar?" He looked closer, gasped, pointed at me accusingly, and screeched for all the street to hear "YOU'RE KINGOFLOOSEPAGES!!" then fainted dead away. Someone muttered about the crazies and I made sure to walk away real fast. The moral? I don't own anything.

**Note:** NYC was nice. I really did stay in Harlem and a crazy guy really did ask for a dollar. For more on my trip read the closing note. Also, it's more of a "long-ish" chapter than a double post, but oh well.

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Shurachi held back the choking noise he wanted to make and pulled up the filtering cloth around his neck as quickly as he could. Beside him, Doku whined and whimpered, burying his nose against Shurachi's leg until the shinobi crouched down and pulled the canine version of the filtering cloth down. It wouldn't pull air through a blend of spices, but it would dull the scents enough to ease his canine partner.

Hajime reached a hand down to touch Shurachi's head in concern but the younger male merely stood back up and faced the platform with a blank expression, his mission face. Remus looked away, feeling a little guilty for not warning his companions of the platform.

"Um, well, my employer has asked me to bring to the castle via the train. It's traditional for the first visit to go by train." He tried grinning, but the shinobi's discomfort had dampened his excitement about being home again. It wasn't obvious, but he'd been living with them for nearly five years with very few trips to England. He was used to finding the little signs in the shinobi that let him know if he should just finish his shopping another day.

The four shinobi followed after him silently, Doku only whining a little when he came to close to something that spewed smoke and steam. They settled into a large compartment, the four shinobi taking up strategic places so they could easily defend or escape. Remus merely sat on one of the cushioned seats and pulled out a scroll he'd bought on the various creatures that roamed the Forest of Death.

The ride was uneventful with Hajime and Shurachi being the only ones that relaxed enough to sit down for any period of time. Students tried, multiple times, to open the compartment and see who was in it, but Remus had already locked the door with some spell that Shurachi recognized from the very first few lessons on practical 'magic' as he liked to call it. None of that conjuring birds nonsense.

The welcome to the castle was rather anti-climatic. The shinobi refused to go to the great hall the first night, preferring to scout out the area before they displayed themselves so publicly. The stern woman and greasy man that had met up with them had not looked happy, but Remus managed to convince them of how tired the four shinobi were.

They'd then been shown through the castle to a common room on the second floor that had five rooms leading off of it. They'd thoroughly checked the whole place for bugs, Shurachi doing so the magical way, and removed any paintings.

It had taken nearly an hour to be sure they were secure before they all settled on the soft couches to relax as much as they could. "So, does anyone have any idea how that portal works? From what I understand the last time it's use was recorded I fell into an Anbu meeting and nearly got killed." Shurachi grimaced at the thought of the reason behind the small scar on his hand.

Hajime chuckled at the thought of Shurachi falling into an Anbu meeting and Kita Mimiru cleared her throat. "The portal works about the same as the 'accidental magic' that Lupin-san was telling us about. There are designated entry points, but they will deposit you anywhere you wish on the other side. Most entry points appear randomly, that's where that colony of giant spiders from Grass country vanished off to."

Shurachi hummed and tilted his head back to watch the uneven ceiling. "Anyone want to volunteer for first watch?" Doku perked up and Shurachi smirked down at him. Totsuke Chiaru beat the dog to the punch though, and murmured a soft request to have first watch. Hajime quickly claimed second and Mimiru exasperatedly offered to take last watch, leaving Shurachi as third.

With that established, they all spread out to their various rooms and then sent out shadows clones to explore the grounds. It was a tactic they'd all learned during various guard missions when they couldn't leave their charges vicinity. Now they were using it so they could catch up on rest before the craze of their new environment caught up with them.

Shurachi left his room, two dogs hot on his heels, and settled on the couch beside Hajime. The Aburame glanced up, snorted at the cerberus puppy that wasn't really a puppy anymore, and slipped his katana back into it's sheath.

"I'm not even going to ask how you managed to get that thing here without anyone knowing. I have a feeling the answer will only annoy me."

Shurachi grinned a little behind his mask and scratched the huge dogs side. It was now larger than Shurachi, almost as big as his animagus form, and easily ride-able if Shurachi was so inclined.

"Get some rest Hajime, I'll keep watch." Hajime grunted, obviously tired, and shuffled into his room.

As soon as the other had left, Shurachi's smiled vanished. He seemed to sag a little in the couch with the weight of whatever was on his mind. Doku and Kinobu whined worriedly and a massive head settled in his lap.

Green eyes flickered open and a small smile stretched over Shurachi's lips. "I'm fine guys, I just miss my pups." His smile faded a little. "There's also Haku. I'm not sure that he really knows what he's getting himself into. He's been a missing nin all this time, switching to a citizen or even a shinobi of Konoha is going to be a very large change for him."

He didn't say it out loud, but he was also worried about how the younger man would interact with his pups on a day to day basis. They'd interacted briefly before, but once or twice during celebrations was different than everyday for long periods of time.

With a quiet sigh he pulled out a rather oddly shaped shuriken and began to carefully sharpen each blade. There was no point in thinking about it now, he'd already agreed to give Haku a chance. Pushing the thoughts far from his mind in favor of the reports from his clones, Shurachi settled for a long watch.

When the shinobi emerged from their common room the next morning, the greasy haired man from before was waiting for them. He sneered at the four, obviously deciding they weren't worth his notice since they had children in their group. Doku took one sniff of him and snorted his dislike; Shurachi grinned behind the mask he'd yet to remove.

"The headmaster wishes to introduce you to the school this morning since you weren't ready last night." They all glanced at Shurachi, Snape frowned as he noticed the act of deference. "If you would follow me…?" He raised an eyebrow and Shurachi narrowed his eyes, but nodded his agreement.

The entrance into the Great Hall wasn't exactly spectacular. Snape swooped in like a great, frightening bat, and in his attention grabbing way made it easy for the shinobi to slip inside unnoticed. Only a couple teachers noticed their entrance.

Shurachi glanced around, his hand on Doku's head, and finally locked eyes with Remus. The werewolf was beaming at him, obviously excited about the whole thing. He frowned behind his mask and flickered his eyes to the now standing old man in the middle of the table.

Sound seemed to muffle, then silence altogether as people noticed the headmaster standing at the table. "Uh-hem! Good morning and good eating children! I'm sorry to interrupt everyone's breakfast, but I have a few more members of staff that I would like to bring to your attention."

Young eyes searched the head table first, then moved to the door where the shinobi were casually standing. Shurachi threw and uninterested look at all the small faces. They were pups, but they didn't need him like his own pups did.

Hajime noticed his younger friends sudden tensing and smirked a little. "Your pups are fine Shura-chibi. Shino will keep Kiba in line." He bit his tongue briefly then continued with a small grimace. "And I'm sure your clan has protected the Kyuubi child as well as any tiger defends her cubs." The green eyes flickered to him, down to Doku, before the tense line of his shoulders eased.

"These are shin-o-by from cone-a-hag-ake-ra. They are here for the schools protection and possibly will be taking over a few of the classes that have been professor less this year." Blue eyes sparkled hopefully at them, but Shurachi ignored the look in favor of scanning the pups again.

It made his heart twinge to think of his own pups, left behind and fending for themselves. There was a smattering of polite applause, then everyone went back to eating and the shinobi slipped from the hall.

Several weeks later, Shurachi was sitting unhappily behind the desk in the Defense Against the Physical Arts class. It had apparently been added specifically for the shinobi to teach Hogwarts students how to defend themselves without a wand.

None of the shinobi had agreed to it, but they'd been told that it was the only way they'd be allowed to stay without interference from the wizarding government. Doku was sniffing every student as they walked passed, though he wasn't expecting to really find anything on first years. He and the other shinobi had quickly learned how incompetent these children were compared to their own village.

Once they were all inside Doku pushed onto his hind legs and closed the door with a resounding thud-click; the lock had engaged. The dog barked quietly and Shurachi yipped back at him, letting the animal know it could come stand beside him in front of the students.

Both dog and Shinobi settled in front of the teachers desk and eyed the children critically. Most of them were excited, this was a class that had only become open after the first week of school and it's first lesson had only been about two weeks ago with Professor Mimiru. She'd quickly gotten frustrated with them and passed them off to Shurachi though.

"I am Inuzuka Shurachi." The quiet voice startled several students up front, they'd been expecting something louder. "Is there anyone that doesn't know what this class is about?"

No one raised their hands and Shurachi let his green gaze flicker around the room before settling on a nervous looking child in the far right corner. "Is there anyone who has any questions before we begin the lesson then?" Immediately the child's hand shot up and Shurachi nodded at him.

The boy swallowed, shifted in his seat, and cleared his throat. "Not to be rude Professor Shurachi, but why are you wearing a mask?"

Doku sat up straighter as his human grunted a little. "My proper title is Inuzuka-sensei, please use it. Shurachi is my first name." There was some twittering and the child flushed bright red. "But to answer your question, why do you think I wear a mask?"

Immediately wild speculation broke out. Everything from a horrible deformation, scarring, and missing pieces; to imitation of a lost brother, and the need to look cool flew through the room until Shurachi barked. Loudly.

Doku sprang to his feet at the sound, to used to obeying that particular command without a thought. The canine was confused, and slightly alarmed, to see that these puppies weren't doing the same for the alpha. They continued to chatter back and forth between each other, only paying half a mind to the alpha standing before them.

Shurachi barked again, this time sounding more vicious, and all talking stopped. They stared at him, obviously shocked that he'd made the canine sound. "Now that I have your attention, we will be starting this lesson with a review on what you know of the human body."

A hand raised itself and the only pureblood in the class, a snooty looking child that had only taken the class because his father wanted to know about the shinobi, didn't wait to be called on before speaking. "You didn't tell us why you wear the mask though Professor."

Shurachi bit back a harsh reprimand, reminding himself that these children weren't raised to fight and kill like he had been. "I wear it because this country stinks. The scent of pollution and fatty bodies does not appeal to my senses." Doku barked his agreement, wishing that he could have worn his own mask. He'd wanted to look intimidating though, and walking around with a cloth covering his nose and upper jaw was hardly frightening.

From there the lesson continued, Shurachi asking questions and the students answering as best they could. Despite this rather easy start to what would probably prove to be a very difficult class, everyone was glad to leave when the bell rang.

Shurachi glanced down at his canine partner with a quiet sigh. "This is going to be a long year Doku." The dog whined in sympathy and rested his head against Shurachi's thigh. "I wonder what Kiba is doing? I didn't even get to properly meet his genin team."

Doku silently nudged his human, then padded over to the door in order to inspect the fourth years that were slowly starting to trickle in. A very long year.

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Okay, so I stayed with my brothers friend while I was in NYC. They smoked pot in another room once a night, but respected my request to be left out of that activity. One of the guys roommates was crazy and rapped the whole time we were there. He thinks he's the next 50 Cent.

We met up with a World of Warcraft friend who builds restaurant interiors, ate dinner with owner of a restaurant because of him, discovered I dislike tequila drinks (I'd never tried tequila before because I can't mix drinks and the stuff tastes awful alone), smoked for a good two hours at a hooka bar, ate to salty Japanese food, threw up raw squid, went to a night club/bowling alley, and got lost. A lot. The trains were pretty relaxing though.

Review please!!

Taku


	28. Chapter 28

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** So I went to an amateur writing group in order to talk about some stories we'd been writing and they told me, as crazy as it is, that I don't own Harry Potter OR Naruto! That my name wasn't JK Rowling or Kishimoto and I just broke down right there. My life was a lie!

**Note:** The next chapter!! Some reactions, disappointing Dumbledore, and the birth of a really damn sad plot point. Feel anxious guys, there's gonna be another death soon and it won't be pretty. -sniffles- I haven't even properly written it yet and I'm crying.

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Shurachi glanced up from the mission report he'd gotten on his younger brothers progress. The Hokage had been very generous to offer the monthly report, especially considering the difficulties of getting such a thing to him. But Inuzuka were notorious for their ardent dedication to their pups; and Shurachi especially was rather infamous for it.

So what could have caused him to look away from the report? An owl was hovering just above the table he was using, a creamy envelope clutched in its beak. He took the message from the bird and gently petted it's soft feathers before opening the missive.

Please come to my office. The password is 'Rainbow Ranchers.'

Headmaster Dumbledore

Shurachi blinked at the rather abrupt note. A personal summons to the headmaster's office? He should probably bring someone with him incase it was a trap.

With this in mind, Shurachi turned to the napping Doku and whistled sharply. The dog lifted his head, wuffing softly in question. Shurachi wuffed in kind, followed by a series of barks, yips, whines, and growls. The dog yawned widely, but stood and made his way over to the now standing human.

Shurachi pulled on his jyônin vest and tucked the report into one of it's pockets. Sure that he hadn't left anything behind, the pair wandered out of the library and toward the headmaster's office. Various students called out polite greetings, a few of the braver first years even reaching out to pet Doku.

The dog ignored the attention and they made it to the stone gargoyle with little delay. The password was softly spoken, the staircase was just as spirally as always, and they were declining sweets and tea in no time.

The headmaster twinkled from across the desk and Shurachi watched him with a slightly indifferent wariness. While the shinobi hadn't really interacted with anyone outside of the classes they taught, they knew enough to not underestimate this 'kind, old, feeble' man.

"Shurachi my boy! How are you enjoying Hogwarts? It must be very different from your village!" The old man practically beamed at the Inuzuka, completely disregarding Doku.

Shurachi didn't answer, deciding instead to reach a hand down and absently stroke his canines head.

"Remus tells me you have an interesting scar on your forehead. Tell me, Harry, has it ever hurt? Twinged even a little?" Again no answer, though the younger man's petting had stilled.

Dumbledore's smile became little wider, his twinkle a little less pronounced. "Haven't you ever wanted to know about your parents Harry? Wondered what they were like? They certainly wouldn't have wanted this sort of life for you; a hired killer." Shurachi stood with narrowed eyes and flashing fangs, his cloth mask hiding half of his anger.

"I know who my parents were Headmaster. My mother died protecting our village and my father has gracefully shifted to let me care for the family in his mourning. You have no right to say they wouldn't want this life for me when they, themselves led it! Make no mistake Dumbledore, you are simply the employer of Lupin Remus, the person who holds our contract."

With that said, Shurachi stalked from the office, obviously agitated. Even Hajime avoided getting in his way until he'd calmed down some.

It took only a few days for Shurachi to notice the whispers that began to follow him in the halls. The team of shinobi tended to do all of their moving around at night, but he'd been chosen to be the face, so to speak, of their team when it came to the school in general. Hajime had muttered something about children being the same as puppies and a collection, but he'd already tuned the snickering man out by then in favor of arguing.

Obviously he'd lost, Mimiru was very much persuasive when she wanted to be. As a result, Shurachi was now the main teacher for their shared class as well as the representative of the shinobi team stationed at Hogwarts. Doku had also developed the bad habit of tucking his tail between his legs and hiding behind Shurachi whenever Mimiru was in the room.

It was until a week later that the wizarding newspaper printed the official story. Shurachi hadn't bothered to read it, Hajime's angry dialogue on the article the morning it came out was enough to give him an idea of what they were dealing with.

Shurachi left their room, expecting the quiet whispers and hesitant glances. What he got was a chest full of fifth year and a stern looking McGonagall.

"I'm really sorry Inuzuka-sensei, but she's a teacher and…" The girl trailed off with tears forming in her eyes. The shinobi had chosen one student from each house and told them where to go if they ever needed to get a hold of someone in an emergency. Apparently McGonagall hadn't known where their rooms were though.

Shurachi softened his features, or what you could see of them behind his mask. "It's alright Renaute-san, I'm not angry with you." He had to remind himself that while she was as old as some jyônin, she certainly wasn't half as competent as even civilian children.

"Mr. Potter I presume?" Rachel Renaute bit her lip, obviously trying not to comment on the name. Inuzuka-sensei had ingrained it in them that he was to be called by Inuzuka-sensei or Inuzuka-sama and no other name, especially not Harry Potter. Some third year had made that mistake not to long ago and was still ducking his head in embarrassment whenever he entered class.

Shurachi's face hardened and Doku stiffened beside him. Green eyes watched the deputy headmistress through silver framed glasses, obviously mistrustful. "My name is Inuzuka Shurachi, McGonagall-san; please use it."

The old woman pursed her lips and crossed her arms impatiently. "I will address you by your proper name, now why didn't you tell us when you arrived who you were? It certainly would have saved us some worry!"

The shinobi neatly sidestepped the old woman and the fidgeting student in order to continue down the hall. "I told you exactly who I am McGonagall-san, it is not my problem if you refuse to acknowledge that. Now, I believe I have a class to be teaching, if you'll excuse me?" He took a step forward and suddenly disappeared, preventing McGonagall from following him.

Rachel bit her lip again, this time to keep from giggling, and scurried toward the staircase. She had to get to her Ancient Runes class and hope the teacher was late again.

When Shurachi entered his classroom he was surprised to find it already half full. People tended to loiter outside as if the room had some sort of horrible disease crawling through it. Then again, the first years seemed to have taken a special liking to him since their first lesson when he'd let them gossip about himself.

Jonathan, who had been the one to ask about his mask, timidly came to the front of the classroom from his seat in the back. He looked down at Doku, up at Shurachi, down at Doku, then up at his teacher again; before making up his mind.

"Inuzuka-sensei? Would it be alright if I petted Doku?" Shurachi raised an eyebrow and the child flushed bright red. "It's just that he's always at your side and my mother never let us get a dog and he looks so nice." Never mind that Jonathan had been in the hall when Doku had bared his fangs viciously at a seventh year Slytherin for tripping someone.

A sparkle flashed through Shurachi's eyes briefly, but he nodded and murmured that it was okay if the child wanted to pet his partner. Jonathan's face lighting up and the happy little sound he made was certainly enough to relax Shurachi again after his confrontation McGonagall; if it could be called that.

The boy stayed up front, petting Doku quite splendidly, until the bell rang. He gave the dog one last pat, hesitantly smiled up at Shurachi, and then scurried to his seat in the back. Shurachi looked over the small sea of faces, noting all four house colors, and began his lesson for the day.

"Pull out quill and parchment-" here he wrinkled his nose behind his mask. Who honestly still used such ancient writing utensils? "-and number it from one to twelve. I want you to list twelve points on the body that could incapacitate someone if hit properly then tell me how to hit them and why they work."

A groan swept through the room and Shurachi smiled behind his mask. It reminded him so much of his little Kiba when they complained about the work he was telling them to do. He remembered complaining, but only Koishi, that it was boring learning about the various parts of the body as well.

It was towards the end of the lesson that he got his first question about the article from that morning. It was one of the Slytherin girls, a pureblood who was spying on him for her parents, that asked. "Sir? Is it true that you're Harry Potter?"

Her question was asked in such a snooty, huffy, Hyuuga-esque tone that Shurachi couldn't help but take feel a sense of satisfaction annoying her. He promptly felt a little bad afterwards, it wasn't her fault she'd been raised that way after all, but he purposely made his answers frustrating anyway.

"What is the name I gave you on our first day?" Several people gave him confused looks.

Someone in the back cleared their throat and all eyes turned toward a ferrety looking boy. "Inuzuka Shurachi?" He called and the whole class turned to see what Shurachi would do in reaction to his full name.

The Inuzuka smiled behind his mask. "Well, that's who I am then isn't it? Now, back to the lesson. Can anyone tell me why the thigh isn't a good place to hit when you are trying to quickly incapacitate your opponent?"

"But Professor! You didn't properly answer my question!" The girl huffed and Shurachi frowned at her. Not that she could tell or anything, but it was the thought that counted, right?

"Greengrass-san, I believe we are talking about ways to cause severe bodily harm to another human being, not my name." She opened her mouth to argue again and Shurachi leaned back against his desk.

He crossed his arms and waited for her to finish with another protest against her question being ignored.

"Are you quite done then? Yes? Since you are so interested in my name, we'll have a mandatory note check. If you haven't taken notes on what we were discussing then you automatically fail any assignments due or issued today." There was much scrambling as people hurriedly jotted things down and Shurachi snorted.

"As for my name," the scrambling stopped and all eyes turned on him "it was originally Potter Harry, but I do not recognize that as my name anymore. I have gone all my life as Inuzuka Shurachi so why should I change that?"

In the corner Jonathan raised his hand, obviously concerned for the consequences but to curious to put it back down. "But Inuzuka-sensei, why don't you want to use your original name?"

Green eyes closed briefly, trying to keep down the annoyance that had been building for nearly a week. "Lets say you find out tomorrow that you aren't really a member of your family. That the name you've known your whole life isn't originally yours."

Several people began to shift uncomfortably. "This doesn't bother you because you know your family loves you anyway. But then people start insisting on using a name you haven't heard before when addressing you. Would you not be annoyed?" He glanced at the clock on the back of the wall that now read "time for homework."

"Write your name on the top of your notes and leave them in a pile by the door. Your homework is to write an essay on the importance of a name and what yours means to you." A shrill bell echoed through the corridors and the children quickly piled out of his classroom. Doku gave a small whine of sympathy as his human pulled off the slim glasses and rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

The Inuzuka didn't open his eyes, but he did mumble a little yip to reassure the dog. "More an animal than I though Potter." The name was spat with such hatred that Shurachi had to look up.

He was quick to put his glasses back on when he realized that the mans scent was full of anger, bordering on homicidal rage.

"Snape-san? Can I help you with something?" he asked calmly. It would have been obvious to anyone that he wasn't in the best of moods, so of course Snape didn't notice.

The tall man sneered down at Shurachi, taking in his appearance. From the multiple braids pulled into his customary tail, the jyônin uniform vest and pants, to the yukata left open to give a more 'wizard-y' appearance over all of it. His eyes paused obviously on the only visible weapons he had before moving on the curl his lip at Shurachi's painted nails.

"Absolutely barbaric." He hissed nastily and Shurachi felt his fuse burn out.

Chakra building in his system and magical wind picking up, the Inuzuka had to bite hard on his tongue to keep from barking an attack order at Doku. The dog shifted in anticipation of the order anyway, and Snape's eyes immediately flicked to the snarling canine.

"And such a disgusting beast completes the picture." The candle melted and Shurachi barked a quick restraining command even as he was fisting his hand in Snape's robes and smacking the man back against the wall.

The mask was ripped away in order to expose dangerous teeth and canines flashed uncomfortably close to Snape's hooked nose. "I don't know what your problem is with me Snape-san, but it stops now. I am by your employers request, I am being paid to keep your sorry ass safe, but I am not about to put up with shit on a voluntary mission."

He smacked the man against the wall again when it looked like he was going to start talking. "I don't go to meals, I am rarely in the halls, and unless you come to my rooms or this classroom you have no reason to interact with me. I suggest you suck up whatever fucking problem you have and keep it in, because next time I'm going to show you why your newspaper calls my people bloodthirsty!" Doku growled and Shurachi snarled at him.

The dog huffed and moved to sit by the open door, keeping an eye out for possible witnesses. Shurachi turned and stalked toward the same door then shoved Snape out of it. Before the wizard could regain his wit's the door was snapped shut and the click of a lock was very obvious in the deserted corridor.

After that people tended to avoid him unless they absolutely had to speak with him and they never brought up his name, at least his students didn't. Snape also made an effort to avoid the corridor that held the muggle defense classroom.

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So what did you think? I'm not to sure I'm happy with this chapter so let me know if I should scrap it!! On a lighter note, I just bought Jason Mraz's cd Mr. A to Z, so if you listen to that you might find some things from the album in my next one-shot/chapter.

Taku


	29. Chapter 29

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** You want peppermint varigated vinca? Well I want to own Naruto and Harry Potter! Looks like we don't always get what we want doesn't it? DOESN'T IT?!

**Note:** Oh em gee, guys. I am so tired right now. I have a new job, at a plant nursery, and it makes me veeeery tired. That's why I didn't update last weekend. I hope this peak at Konoha is a nice chapter, showing how the pups are doing. I'll have a whole chapter for how Haku is doing in a little while, after a couple more hogwarts ones.

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Kiba stumbled sleepily down the stairs and into the kitchen. A jaw cracking yawn blurred his eyes and made him grumble quietly. "Morning Kaaaaaaasan." he yawned again and then glanced confusedly around the kitchen as the usual reply didn't come. There was no Kaasan in this kitchen.

Then he remembered that his mother had gone on a long term mission and would be gone for a while. A frown pulled at his face and Akamaru whined unhappily. He would have to make breakfast for himself then, and lunch. Hopefully someone made him dinner though, because he wasn't very good at cooking.

Several minutes, a piece of burnt toast, and a smoking oven later, Kiba was heading toward the meeting place for his team. He grimaced as the last of the toast was forced down, his mothers admonishment to have breakfast echoing in his ears.

When he arrived. Shino shifted enough to expose two bento boxes, making Kiba feel a little better about his food situation. Hinata showed up last, apologizing and bowing like crazy in order to make up for her tardiness.

Kurenai smiled at her team "Alright genin, your first official mission is to help Yamamoto-san rebuild his shed! Get to it!" There was some confusion, but they all went along without much complaining.

When they paused for lunch Kiba and Shino settled together on a large rock and opened their bento lunches. "My grandmother made them, so we don't have to worry about them being edible." Kiba grinned widely and stuffed a rice ball in his mouth. Shino couldn't help his small smile at his friends antics, even as both of them ignored the fact that Shurachi's usual note to have a good day wasn't there.

The return home after the mission was lonely, though Kiba couldn't figure out why as he had walked home by himself numerous times. He thought he had an idea of the reason when he got home and found it silent though. The Inuzuka went through the motions of heating the leftover dinner from the night before, something his mother had made, then settled himself into bed without a friendly voice calling good night.

Akamaru was strangely silent through the whole day and when they settled for bed neither boy nor dog slept very well.

Several weeks later, Kiba had managed to burn something into the bottom of the oven. Shino had smirked at him, his version of a chuckle, and tossed a convenience store package at his head. They'd taken to staying at each others houses, mostly Shino's, because neither could really fend for themselves all that well.

They had another useless mission, this time to catch a bird who had had one wing clipped and could still fly a little. It was difficult, especially considering the damn thing kept flying higher and higher then falling out of the trees.

With Hinata's help they managed it though, and brought the retarded bird to it's owner. Both boy's bid their female teammates goodnight and headed to Kiba's house.

"What should we have tonight?" The Inuzuka asked brightly, obviously trying to lighten the idea that Shurachi wasn't going to be cooking for them.

Shino reached a hand into the small bag he'd had with him the whole day and held up a partially thawed something. "Shura-obachan made some soup for Otousama and we never finished it. Otousama just froze it and I remembered we had it this morning. We could heat it up on the stove and have it for dinner?"

The grin that split Kiba's face was wide enough to frighten several civilians on their way home.

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Naruto stood in front of the Inuzuka compound gate, obviously uncertain if he should go in. Deciding it was better if he didn't, the blond moved away and wandered back to his own house.

It had been a long day of 'missions', if one could call painting a fence a mission. Sakura had yelled at him to quit being so stupid three times, Sasuke-teme had told him he was a moron more times than he could count, and Kakashi-sensei had ignored him until the mission was over and he was assigning individual training times.

All in all, he really needed a hug and maybe some good home cooked food. So Naruto found himself outside of the Inuzuka compound for the second time, sweaty and hot and miserable in general. Again he wondered if he should go in, if he would be welcome now that Shurachi wasn't there; and again he decided he couldn't risk being rejected and turned to walk morosely toward his apartment.

Several weeks, and an unholy amount of ramen, later he was back with a pillow, blanket, night cap, pack of clothes, and uncertain eyes. Once more he was starting to turn back when a large arm wrapped around his waist, picked him up like he weighed nothing, and began to carry him inside the walled off area.

Naruto knew he would have struggled more if it weren't for the dog trotting along beside them.

When he was let down again they were in front of Shurachi's house. The man gave him a little push and opened the door.

"Shurachi-alpha says that you can stay here as long as you want." Naruto whirled around to look at the older man. Brown eyes were trailing over him critically before a smile lit the older mans face in a way that reminded Naruto strongly of Shurachi.

"I believe Shino is already staying with Kiba, so I'm sure they won't mind you joining them." Naruto smiled brightly up at the man.

"Thank you Inuzuka-san!" He reached out to pat the dog on the head and then ran into the house.

Outside, the man closed the door quietly and took a step back. When his canine companion whine quietly he gave it a pained smile. "This was once our house Kira, but our pup has made it a home filled with pups of his own. We don't belong here anymore."

The dog whined again, but stood to trot slowly alongside the man toward Kunimitsu's home. Yes, they had once lived happily in that home, but now it was his sons turn to lead the clan and raise a family. Even if that family was his other son, an Aburame, and the holder of the Kyuubi.

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Shino woke and got dressed as he usually did. He ignored the empty echo of his home, lacking the sounds of his father in the shower, and set to work making his and Kiba's lunches. Once that was done he moved out to the shrine wall and stood in front of his uncles shrine.

"Please look after use while Shurachi-obachan and Otousama are gone. I know they can look after themselves, but Kiba is very difficult to manage sometimes." He bowed slightly and placed the bread rolls on the alter before heading to the meeting place.

Red eyes caught the last piece of blackened toast being shoved in his friends mouth and Shino grimaced. Good thing he had some idea on how to cook. So, wanting to make sure Kiba didn't try to make anything, Shino let him see the pair of bento he'd tied together for them. Kiba's grateful smile was enough to make his getting up an hour early worth it.

When they stopped for lunch Shino realized with a small blush that it would be highly embarrassing for him to admit to having made their lunch. He didn't want to sound like some love-sick girl! And so he mumbled that his grandmother had made it and watched his best friend enjoy the lunch he'd made.

They parted ways to head home and Shino settled for bed. He tried to sleep, even went so far as to have all of his kikai move to his gourd, but by midnight he was still trying to fall asleep. So with a deep frown he gathered his blankets, a pillow, and some clothes into the rather large pack he'd gotten as a graduation present.

Silent as the shinobi he was, the Aburame slipped out of his house, across the compound, and then into the Inuzuka compound. Kiba's window was found and squeezed through with the ease of practice.

"Kiba?" Shino whispered quietly. The Inuzuka didn't rolled over with a frown, but remained asleep. Shino shrugged and pulled his sleepover things out of the pack. Once settled, Shino took little time to fall into the oblivion of sleep.

Shino rolled to his feet silently, long practice making the motion subconscious. It had been several weeks since Shurachi and his father had left for their mission and he was starting to get the hang of feeding himself and Kiba. He had a brand new respect for his adopted aunt considering Shurachi had made most of the meals for much more than two people.

Rummaging around his fridge for something he could make for himself and Kiba to eat at dinner time, Shino suddenly remembered the soup his father had brought home from a visit with the Inuzuka's not to long before he left. They weren't able to eat it, so Hajime had frozen it in the freezer.

The Aburame rummaged around in a cupboard for the miniature, portable cooler that was usually used for over night training trips into the forest. He put the large bag of frozen soup into the cooler, packed in some ice, and set off to meet with his team.

He planted a kikai on the bird and followed it silently from the ground, frowning when the creature ate his insect. Thankfully Hinata was able to find the stupid avian and they caught it with relative ease.

On the way home He showed Kiba the soup and smiled behind his coat as he realized the small offering had brightened his friends mood. They set it on the stove, in a pot, to heat and moved into the living room.

"Did Hokage-sama tell you how long they would be gone? Or if we could contact them?" Shino asked after a few seconds of silence.

Akamaru barked and Kiba flashed the canine a grin. "He didn't say how long it would be, but he did say that he was sending reports to Kaasan, so we could probably get him to send our letters as well."

Shino hummed and moved to check the soup, it was almost hot enough to eat.

"What do you think we should write about?" Kiba asked from behind his friend, startling the Aburame into turning around.

"I'm not sure, I guess we can tell them about how we're doing, how everyone is getting along without them here." Shino shrugged and checked the soup again; close enough.

They filled two bowls, leaving some in the pot, and settled down at the low table. Kiba was about to take the first bite when Akamaru began to bark and Naruto wandered timidly through the door decked out for bed and dragging a blanket.

No one said anything, Shino simply filled a third bowl with the rest of the soup and they ate in silence.

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Oh god, please review guys, please? I'm so dying right now it isn't even funny. Well...maybe a little funny, but not to me! DX

Taku


	30. Chapter 30

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** I'm just going to go cry in a corner now, see ya.

**Note:** Have you guys noticed that all of my updates are on weekends? I feel like I have a deadline, which is bad. Deadlines create writers blocks with me. Hmmmm...maybe i should mix it up? But weekends are the only times I manage to get the time ot post! 8x Anyway, Halloween at Hogwarts. I feel like I ended this chapter a little to open, but oh well. I was actually super inspired and spent two hours writing this! Please review it an tell me what you think. Also, for the ranom Japanese, I put translations in the (). If there's anything you don't know, feel free to ask ina review!

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Shurachi tossed senbon into the forest, watching Doku chase the deadly needles, jump up to catch them, then trot back to him with a wagging tail. His hand itched where the hole from his very first appearance in Konoha had healed over. There was still a small bump, but otherwise one would never know he'd been pinned to the ground by a senbon.

Students were scurrying around in the castle, getting costumes and masks and kami knew what else ready. Apparently there was some sort of party to celebrate the end of October. He didn't know why and didn't really care to learn.

"Inuzuka-sensei!" Green eyes lifted quickly at the urgent tone, but the tight look smoothed over when Jonathan's smiling face came into view. "Inuzuka-sensei, Chiaru-sensei said you'd be out here. I'm sorry for bothering you, but I wanted to go to the party as one of the anbo you were talking about in class. They sounded really amazing!"

A small quirk of Shurachi's lips was his answer and Doku barked, dropping his latest retrieval in favor of going up to the first year for some quality petting time.

"That's Anbu Jonathan. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you went as an imitation of them, though your mask can only cover part of your face. A full mask would be against village laws." Jonathan looked a little disappointed, but he nodded understandingly. Doku didn't care to notice, obviously enjoying the attention his ears were getting.

"I don't mind, but would you help me? I've never seen one before so I don't know what to make my costume look like." The quirk of his lips became a full blown smile.

Doku's tail wagged as he followed the two humans back up to the large stone den. He made sure to make himself look professional when they entered, not wanting to make his human seem weak in front of the puppies. Then they were inside their personal den, with allies glancing up at them, and he could wag his tail again.

Shurachi sat Jonathan down on the couch in the shinobi common room. "Let me get my wand and we'll start making up look like an Anbu." He said loud enough for Chiaru Totsuke to catch. The jyônin smirked a little, obviously amused, before heading to the door.

"Ún ga íi Inuzuka-san." (Good luck Inuzuka) He called and Shurachi poked his head out of his room, a braid dangling over his face.

"Náze sóo ka?" (Why so?) Shurachi asked and Jonathan shifted a little uncomfortably.

Both shinobi noticed this and smoothly switched back to English. "It is difficult, getting those sticks to work properly. They aren't accurate at all."

Shurachi laughed and waved a hand at Totsuke as he slipped back into his room. "You just dislike the idea of wizards using them for everything. Go relieve Mimiru-chan, I'm sure she's getting annoyed at having to stay on that tower for so long. It's very cold up there you know." Totsuke snorted, but vanished silently from the room to as he'd been told.

Doku barked happily at the warm spark in Shurachi's eyes when the other reentered the room. "Now then, what is your favorite animal?" He asked cheerfully, feeling much better now that he was taking care of someone again; even if it was only for a little while.

Jonathan seemed to think before glancing at Doku. The Inuzuka chuckled and twirled his wand, muttering something under his breath. A mask that would cover three fourths of Jonathan's face appeared on the couch, it's features reminiscent of Doku's face. Jonathan quickly snatched the mask up and tried it on, grinning as it fit perfectly.

After that it was a simple matter to transfigure the child's clothes into the white and black uniform of the Anbu and give him one of Shurachi's smaller shinobi cloaks. It was a standard brown and fit a little large, but Shurachi had only brought it to cover Doku if they were assigned to go "undercover" during the mission; it was much to small for him now.

The first year beamed up at him, the only hint of this being the crinkling of his one exposed eye. "Thank you Inuzuka-sensei!" He said happily, then shocked Shurachi by quickly squeezing his waist in a hug before running out the door.

The next morning there were reports of a massacre of muggle children and their parents. Apparently they'd been running around in the dark dressed up as monsters, collecting candy. The idea didn't make sense to the shinobi, it was an easy way to get poisoned after all, but the news was devastating to the school. Everyone's cheer from the night before had been sucked away by the article.

Shurachi noticed the dank atmosphere at breakfast, which he'd watched from the rafters in the Great Hall. He watched the students eat silently, watched the teachers poke at their food, and watched the few students that had gotten black envelopes with the mail leave the hall. He watched all this and decided he would let his classes do something fun.

As soon as he realized the decision he'd made he frowned. It was easy to tell himself that he knew the impact of a family member dying, that he wanted to give them something to be cheerful about, but he knew that the real reason was because he was concerned for these children.

His first years slowly trickled in, lacking the enthusiasm most of them usually had so early in the day. Jonathan was the last to enter and Shurachi could smell his cloak on the boy, though it was probably in his bag or something similar. He smiled warmly at all of them, obviously throwing a few of them off, and motioned for them to stand again.

They did so, slowly, and Shurachi pulled out his wand. Someone gasped, obviously they'd thought he couldn't do magic. "Now then children, why don't we have a little fieldtrip?" He asked in a slightly more cheerful voice than he usually had. He waved his wand and the desks moved to line the walls. "First I want everyone to get a cloak, if you don't have one with you then hurry to your dorm and grab one." Several people shuffled out of the room.

"While they're doing that I want everyone to start stretching. We'll be doing a lot of moving around and it's important that we warm up our muscles before hand so we avoid injury." They slowly started to do some of the stretches they'd learned in class and Shurachi wandered among them, correcting as needed.

The door opened and the last person came back into class with a cloak. "Alright everyone, put on your cloaks and follow me." He led them through the halls, down a staircase, and then out into the brisk November air.

"Who here has heard of tag?" Most of them raised their hands. "And how about hide-and-seek?" Slightly less raised their hands. "For those who don't know, both games have one person who is 'it'. The person that is 'it' has to chase the other players in tag, touch one of them, and then quickly run away. The person that weas touched is then 'it' and the process repeats. For hide-and-seek the players all hide and the person that is 'it' must find them. The first person found is the next one to be 'it'."

There were nods of understanding and Shurachi waved his wand. Instantly, various trees, bushes, rocks, and even random sticks morphed to form a small village around them. It took up a good deal of the school grounds, leaving wide streets in between the various classes that the students had to go outside to get to and school.

"We will be playing a mixed version of these two games. I want you to pair up into groups of three." He watched them mill around, pairing up with each other and slowly gaining life back into their faces. Jonathan was left standing alone in his brown cloak, a small frown on his face. "Each group please come up to me for assignments."

One by one, the groups came up to him and he whispered their 'missions' to them then handed over a mask that would identify them as a group. They weren't allowed to show the mask to anyone else in order to keep their identities a secret from the other teams. Once all of them had come up and gone back to chattering he cleared his throat.

"There will be no use of a wand in this. If one is used you will be painted neon orange and removed from the village to a 'holding cell' in my classroom. You each have your assignments, either to hide or to seek. The only way to get someone is to tag them with a ball that will automatically turn their skin purple. These balls can be found throughout the village, so make good use of your time and search!"

He laughed as they all shifted, anxious to get moving. "If your skin turns a color other than purple you are to find a building with that color on it and stay there until the color vanishes. If your whole team is caught by these colors then you will turn purple and have lost the game, so teammates protect each other! On the count of three move out and once you're sure you're alone put on your masks."

The students raced into the fake village and Shurachi conjured up a mask from himself. Jonathan was standing alone, Shurachi having turned him away when he came up for an assignment. The child looked very put out, almost on the verge of tears.

"Have you got the mask I made you last night?" Shurachi asked quietly, his ears already perked for movement from the silent village around them. Jonathan nodded and dug in his bag to pull it out. "Good, put it on." He did so with a confused little frown and then stilled as Shurachi put his own dog mask on. It also had one eye exposed, though is was the opposite of Jonathan's.

"We will be on a team together. Our job is to hit as many people as we can with the different colored balls. Try to get the whole team, but if you can't then move on and find another team to attack." He handed over a small sack filled with different colored, pea sized balls and a small straw to shoot them through. "Doku is our third teammate, so if he nudges you follow him as quietly as you can."

Jonathan nodded and tucked the bag into his belt. "So we're like the assassins?" He asked.

Doku huffed in amusement and Shurachi grinned a little behind his mask. "Yes, but we have very bad aim so our targets can sometimes recover from our attacks. On the bright side, we are immune to their attacks. Try not to get hit though, we don't want them to know that." Jonathan giggled and the three slipped into the village.

Doku yipped quietly at Shurachi almost an hour later, letting him know that it was almost time for class to end. Shurachi nodded and motioned for Jonathan to cover his ears. Only once the firsty ear had done so did he pull out his wand and hold it to his throat. "Sonorous." He muttered, then cleared his throat.

"All teams are to cast a levitation charm at this time and return to class. Roll will be taken then and anyone missing will lose all points for the next three assignments." A series of Wingardium Leviosa's echoed through the fake village. "Quietus."

"Let's head back to the classroom, alright?" He cast the levitation charm and vanished with a soft pop, followed closely by Jonathan. Doku simple settled down to wait for his human to arrive with the next class.

Everyone was neon orange, and when Shurachi opened his mouth to say the counter charm they could see that even his teeth were the obnoxious color. His class left in high spirits and spread the word to the other years. Everyone was eager to try the village out, even those that hadn't taken the class.

When Shurachi entered the shinobi's shared common room, Hajime was waiting for him. "I see you couldn't resist helping the pups out." He chuckled as Shurachi shot him a nasty look. "Our pups sent us a letter with the latest report."

Shurachi was searching Hajime before the Aburame had a chance to produce said letter. A small square of paper was sticking out, so he snatched it and began to read.

_ Dear Kaasan, Otousama, Shurachi-kun, Shura-oba, Hajime-oji, _

_Naruto was being stupid and wouldn't come over, Sófu (grandfather) had to carry him inside. I've used all of the leftover meals you made, but Shino's been feeding me. Our missions have been kind of boring, but I remember that you said even the most boring things can at least keep up your stamina. Hinata says hello, but she's really quiet. I don't know if I really like her, she is a Hyuuga after all. I love you Okaasan, come back soon. _

_As for Hajime-oji, don't get my mother in trouble! If I hear you've done anything I'll hunt you down and feed you to Iwa shinobi! _

_**Kiba has finally handed over the letter, I see he hardly wrote anything for how long he had it. I have been feeding him and Naruto, though a good deal of it is convenience store food. I know it isn't healthy, but it's better than ramen every night and I can't keep cooking onigiri. **_

_**How long until you return? Can you tell us anything about your mission? Sófu says that they've replaced our oven Otousama. He says that you're to come home as soon as you can because grandmother misses you and I do too. He then mumbled something about Shurachi-oba needing to be saved. I hope you aren't being to mean to anyone. I love you Otousama. **_

_**Naruto was hesitant to come over, saying something like we wouldn't want him to bother us. We've managed to convince him otherwise, or I think we have. He's making grabs at the pen, so I'll hand the letter off to him. **_

_**Shurachi-kun! I've never written a letter before! Iruka sensei says that it's only polite I tell you about my missions since you aren't here. To be honest they kind of suck. This old lady keeps losing her cat and can't seem to hire any other genin team to catch the stupid thing! Honestly, if it hates you so much that it keeps running away then let it go! **_

_**Sakura-chan and Sasuke-jerk are my teammates. They're kind of mean, but I love Sakura-chan and she loves Sasuke-jerk. It's not fair! He isn't even nice to her! I miss eating your cooking, Kiba's is kind of gross and onigiri gets old after a while. Come back soon, okay? **_

_**All our love, **_

_**Kiba Shino and Naruto**_

Shurachi grinned at the letter and carefully handed it over to Hajime.

"Hah! They barely even mention me, being the stars in your eyes. The Kyuubi brat doesn't even acknowledge that I'm on this mission as well." He snorted and folded the letter, handing it back to Shurachi.

The Inuzuka frowned at him and smoothed out the wrinkled corner. "You haven't made an effort to get to know him, I wouldn't write a letter to a complete stranger either." He tucked the letter into his weapons pouch and headed for his room. "You can have tower duty tonight Hajime, I'm going to be taking a group of students through the village I constructed once it gets dark."

The Aburame waved and headed out to find his station. Sometimes he had to wonder about the leader of the Inuzuka clan.

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I went to see the new live action Death Note movie this week. The actor playing L is an eyegasm! -happy sigh-

Review please!!

Taku


	31. Chapter 31

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** Yuck, cake make-up on my face giving me oily skin! I need to go soak in some rubbing alcohol or something!! Bleck!

**Note:** Oh my god guys, this one made me cry. I'm not to sure how well I put it, but it still mad eme cry. Please tell me what you think, I'm for serious kind of nervous about this one. Read on!

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Snow covered the ground and Shurachi watched more fall from his position on the north tower. Dumbledore had become more annoying the closer to Christmas they got, causing Shurachi to seek out a more covert position. He'd heard that the children were asking after him, wondering where their main teacher was, but he couldn't bring himself into the light of day without Dumbledore showing up.

Snape had also taken to following him around. He wasn't sure what the other man's reasoning was, but this stalker was much less annoying to deal with.

Beside him, Doku sighed loudly. The dog's breath steamed in the air, reminding Shurachi of how cold it was. The snow brought him a sense of nostalgia. He'd arrived in Konoha when it was snowy outside, had felt Koishi's love for the first time when the white powder covered the ground. They'd only been small children and he'd only been trying to make Shurachi feel better, but it was the first time he'd felt loved by the older boy.

A rush of heat swept through him, reddening his already wind blown cheeks. The cold reminded him of Haku as well. The ice user seemed like he would be perfectly at home in the frozen winter. A sigh escaped him this time, misting the same as Doku's had.

"Haku, I wonder what you're doing right now? And my pups." He sighed again and turned his eyes to the Forbidden Forest. "They're probably throwing snow balls at each other. They never could resist having shinobi battles with snow." He snorted and folded his arms, shivering a little in the cool air.

A longing to go home, to leave this place behind, filled him. He could request someone else conduct this mission, could leave these people to their fate. It wasn't like they were really doing anything here. Teaching children weak taijutsu and watching after them like babysitters when they left the castle was hardly part of their contract.

"We were hired to kill Death Eaters Doku, so why have we stayed in this miserable castle? Why aren't we putting our skills to use, tracking them down and destroying Voldemort's support base? This should be a simple, if time consuming, mission. Why are we still doing nothing?" He mumbled and wrapped his cloak tighter about himself.

Doku hunkered down in his own cloak, whining his agreement to his human. This was not the hunting trip they'd been promised. Nothing had been tracked, nothing had been killed, and nothing had been taken care of save for puppies. If they'd wanted to visit with puppies, they would have found the one that smelled of blood and sand, not these strange ones that don't pay any heed to his human.

Though he did rather like the puppy that reminded him of a bad training session, with his scent of bad blood.

A small smile tugged at Shurachi's lips. "I have no real reason to stay here, the contract isn't being followed and our skills are being squandered. On the other hand, I have every reason to leave this miserable castle. My pups are going to be training and going on missions, they'll need me there to welcome them home and help them along."

His smile got a little more lazy. "I have a new mate that I haven't claimed yet. He's waiting for me, eager as myself to join us for the first time." The smile slipped a little and he sighed again. "The chûnin exams will be coming up this summer as well, they'll need extra training and I won't leave them to do something like that by themselves."

A scent drifted up to Shurachi's nose and he shifted to make room for Hajime on the ledge. "You could leave Shura-chibi. We wouldn't think any less of you for it. The clients have been harassing you, trying to make you become a missing nin. That's grounds to drop a mission with honor." He whispered.

Shurachi shot him a grateful smile, but shook his head. "There was a reason Lupin-san hired me specifically. I'm certainly not the best shinobi in the village and trying to get me to defect, while leaving everyone else alone, makes no sense."

He sighed again and leaned against Hajime's side, enjoying his warmth. " Besides, Inuzuka never run away from a mission." He chuckled quietly.

The pair stood quietly together, watching the snow drift towards the ground. They'd sat for nearly ten minutes before Shurachi moved away and disappeared back into the castle. Tomorrow was a Hogsmead weekend, the last one before Christmas break, and he was one of the shinobi assigned to go with the kids.

The sun was bright, the sky was blue, and Shurachi was absolutely bored out of his mind. He could have been wandering around with the children, enjoying himself. In fact, the professors had suggested that the shinobi do just that; Voldemort would never attack Hogsmead after all.

But they were hired to protect these children from Death Eaters and he would hardly be able to notice an attack in advance if he was on ground level. So Mimiru Kita and himself had stationed clones all throughout the town. They even had a few mingled amongst the students.

It was about half way through the trip that the first sign of trouble occurred. The small amount of chakra used to create a shadow clone returned to Shurachi, indicating that one of his had been destroyed. From it's position on the ground, he could assume that it was one of the ones he'd had in a pack of fifth years. It was also the only one visible on the ground.

He moved to it's last known location, but before he could get there screaming broke out. The town was suddenly alive with fleeing students and frightened townsfolk. Though he couldn't really see how the small settlement was a town, it felt more like a village to him.

Doku barked, and Shurachi turned his attention to the men marching menacingly down the street. They wore half skull masks and long black robes to hide their identities. These were the men he was hired to get rid of, the men that wanted to destroy all the 'mud bloods' in their society.

Another harsh bark, this one from Shurachi, and Doku was darting into the panicking crowd. The first enemy casualty came second later, Doku's deadly jaws ripping an artery out of the Death Eater's thigh. The flash of metal alerted him to Mimiru's involvement in the fight.

With the pair working on this group of Death Eaters, Shurachi moved further into the village to take care of any packs of Death Eaters that weren't with the main ones. He'd gotten two groups before he noticed something that shouldn't have been possible. A group of first years was huddled between two buildings, a pair of Death Eaters closing in on them.

He gave off a small growl, very annoyed that the first years were even out there when they were supposed to be safe at the castle. Really, he should just leave them to their fate, but he was being paid to keep them safe and his own motherly instincts wouldn't let a child be harmed.

One of the first years must have seen him, because they all seemed to relax a little and whispered frightened amongst themselves. Then, like a speeding kunai hitting a gong, a tiny bark rang out. It was squeaky, shaky with fear, and not very well done when everything was considered, but it was an Inuzuka pup's distress cry.

He couldn't ignore something like that, couldn't just watch them close ranks before the children. He couldn't even bring himself to be stealthy with this attack.

Jonathan huddled in the middle of the first years that had snuck out of the castle, wishing he had just stayed like he was supposed to. Now Death Eaters were trapping them in an alley and there was no sign of a teacher. They were going to die and it would be their own fault.

The person in front of him suddenly stilled, a sort of hysterical laugh escaping her. She twisted a little and looked straight at Jonathan. "Inuzuka-sensei is behind them, he's watching them!" She whispered, the sound barely a breath in the noise from around them.

Jonathan twisted, craning his neck to look passed the pair of terrifying men at his favorite teacher. Sure enough, Inuzuka-sensei was walking toward them, a pair of knives of some kind in his hands. The glasses he wore weren't a pair Jonathan had ever seen before, they seemed to wrap around almost like goggles. The mask was there, but the usual over robe that hid most of his uniform was gone.

The boy next to him whimpered, obviously still terrified even though the prospect of being saved was drawing closer. Inuzuka-sensei's hair was unnaturally still, the heavy braids weighed down by something. Then he paused, almost as if he were changing his mind about saving them, and Jonathan felt panic rise in himself again.

Trying to think of some way he could convince their teacher to save them, Jonathan began to list everything he could remember about Inuzuka-sensei in his mind. He loved his family, cared about his students, was a very strong fighter, worked with three other hired fighters, had a dog, called his children pups…THAT WAS IT!

He called his children pups! Hajime sensei had mentioned something about Inuzuka being very much like the dogs they worked with. He'd even heard Inuzuka-sensei barking at Doku, and the dog barked back as if they were speaking with each other.

Tilting his head back, Jonathan prayed that his idea was right, and yelped out as loudly as he could. Everyone in the alley stilled at the odd sound and Jonathan flushed a bright red color. But his eyes were focused on the now tensed Inuzuka-sensei.

He wasn't sure how he managed to follow the movement, but one instant Inuzuka-sensei was there and the next his fist was poking out the front of one of the Death Eaters. The second one whirled around and fired off a spell that ripped Inuzuka-sensei's mask and put a slash in his cheek.

The first years all froze, shocked at seeing their teachers face and at the carnage that just took place. Shurachi snarled, flashing his elongated fangs at the frantic Death Eater. His kunai came around and slid easily through the man's neck, though not before he managed to fire off another nasty hex that shattered the bone sin Shurachi's upper arm.

It dangled at his side, useless to him, but he ignored the pain in favor of turning furious eyes to the first years. "Náze(Why)?!" He snarled, then shook his head. "Why are you out here?! You're supposed to be safe at the castle!" He hissed, and all of six first years huddled in on each other in shame.

"It doesn't matter now, you will follow my orders and remain as close together as possible. I will deal with you once we make it to the castle." He grabbed the closest person's arm and dragged them forward. "When I say go, you all run as fast as you can toward the candy shop. I want you to get into the basement at all costs and stay there."

He looked them over, his gaze lingering on Jonathan. The boy pulled his cloak, the one Shurachi and loaned him, tighter and looked at the ground in shame. Then the shinobi was slipping out of the alley, checking for Death Eaters.

None met his gaze, just a lot of empty street. "Go!" He whispered, and they all made a beeline for the candy shop. Shurachi stayed at the back, making sure they all made it. He had to snatch Jonathan up when he stumbled and ended up carrying the child the rest of the way to the building.

They pushed passed terrified people huddled behind shelves and slipped behind the counter. No one was there, oddly enough, and Shurachi directed the students to the trap door under a pile of boxes. "Go through that tunnel and once you come out the other end find the nurse. I want all of you looked at." His gaze lingered on Jonathan once more before he was in the tunnel and the trap door was firmly shut.

Shurachi slipped back into the street and moved to find Doku. The Death Eaters had pretty much retreated, their numbers significantly lowered thanks to the shinobi. Every now and then he'd come across ones body, or one that was uninjured they were unable to flee. Those he tied up and dragged along behind him. They would need to interrogate them.

All of that fled his mind however, when he finally found his canine partner. Mimiru was crouched over him, her hands gently petting the whining dogs head. She was mumbling something to him, but Shurachi couldn't hear.

He dropped his captives to the ground and slipped easily over the edge of the roof he'd been traveling on. "Doku?" He whispered, the sound unbearably loud.

His partner whined and tried to push himself onto his feet. "No! Doku, don't move!" He replaced a silent Mimiru and cradled the dog in his lap. "Shh Doku, you'll be fine. I just need to patch you up is all. We've seen worse." He smiled a watery smile and looked up at Mimiru. She closed her eyes and turned away.

Doku whined again, and Shurachi whined back at him. The dog stretched his neck and swiped his tongue across his humans bleeding cheek. He yipped quietly and Shurachi shook his head vehemently. "I won't, you're going to be alright Doku. You have to be." The pleading in his voice was enough to bring tears to Mimiru's eyes.

As Doku's head lolled and he breathed out one last whine, Mimiru turned her head away. She couldn't stand to see the normally strong Inuzuka clan head break down.

Back at the castle, Shurachi drifted through the stone corridors. His face was blank, his motions slow. It was as if he weren't really moving through their world. Hajime was beside him, eyes hard and jaw set. The gargoyle leaped aside for them, seemingly afraid of the killer intent drifting off the pair.

They didn't wait for the stairs to take them up and instead leaped to the door and forced it open. Dumbledore was there, looking surprised, and so was Remus Lupin. Shurachi's eyes seemed to darken, but he didn't lose the aloof air around himself.

"The mission is done. Our pay is to be sent to the Hokage and the fee for the death of a shinobi shall be billed to you." Hajime bit out, anger clouding his eyes.

Remus paled and Dumbledore frowned. "None of you died though." he pointed out logically. Shurachi's face darkened and he flashed his fangs at the old man.

"Inuzuka Doku was a registered inunin of Konoha. He has died and his partner must choose and train another. You have no say. Just feel lucky that inunin don't have the full shinobi requirements. If he'd taken solo missions then you would have had to pay for those as well." Shurachi sneered at the pair and turned to leave.

"So you are leaving us Harry? Leaving your people to Voldemort?" Hajime frowned at Dumbledore, but Shurachi didn't even turn around.

"The period for this mission's suspension will be however long it takes me to get a…replacement…for Doku." He narrowed his eyes and continued walking, Hajime quick to catch up. He would be home in a few days, then he could grieve properly for his lost partner.

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Haku in the next chapter!! D What do you think? Review, okay?

Taku


	32. Chapter 32

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** Okay, I can't think of anything witty because I've been up all night. I haven't slept in the last 48 hours really. I feel about ready to vomit I'm so tired and the coffee I downed is not sitting so well. Deal with my lack of wit, damn you.

**Note:** Okay, this is the Haku chapter explaining what the hell happens in wave. I know it isn't very good, but I was working through writers block when I wrote this. I hope to make it better when I do the rewrite. Don't worry though, that won't happen until I have all the chapters posted.

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Haku grunted as Zabuza punched at his defenses sharply, wondering briefly if his new boyfriend? Lover? Would be back to take him home soon. It was a long term mission, that had been obvious by Shurachi's own admission to being unable to take him then.

Another fist flying at his head was barely dodged and Zabuza growled. "Stop thinking about that mutt and pay attention! He'll come when he comes, and you'll go then. Until that time, you're still my weapon!" Haku tried not to let the words hurt him, he'd known he was only a weapon to Zabuza-san. So why did it hurt so much to hear it now?

They had a job to prepare for, this sparring was only to get them warmed up. Some Water Country yakuza boss had hired them to stop a bridge from being built, he'd have to stay focused in order to avoid being betrayed.

Plus, he'd heard that the head bridge builder, some guy named Tazuna, had gone to hire Konoha shinobi. It was an amusing insult to Kirigakure, the fact that her own people didn't trust in the shinobi skills enough to hire from their native Hidden Village.

It also meant he'd have to be careful not to reveal himself to them. He wasn't officially a missing nin, he could join a village so long as it wasn't mad obvious he was working with a known missing nin.

That thought stung too. He'd tried to convince Zabuza that they could both join Konoha, that Shurachi could convince the Hokage as one of the famous Clan Heads. But his master? Friend? User? Had refused to even attempt it. He'd said it would make his revenge against Kiri that much harder if he joined a village and was accountable for his actions.

Zabuza stopped abruptly when Haku failed to go for an opening in his guard. "If you can't stay focused on this, maybe you should leave early. You certainly won't be any use to me on this mission." He sneered behind his bandages and Haku went cold. He couldn't possibly have lost his usefulness yet!

"My apologies Zabuza-sama, I will pay better attention from now on. There is no need to send me away just yet." He hoped that his cold, calm tone would convince the older male.

It seemed to, as Zabuza relaxed a little and motioned for Haku to follow him. "We'll be meeting up with Gatou and his thugs today. Make sure you keep an eye out for any shinobi that might have defected from Kiri. They're most likely to join someone like him." Haku nodded and pulled his hunter mask from it's resting place atop his head.

With both their faces covered, the pair met up with the yakuza boss and settled their deal.

When he first saw the cheery blond genin, he couldn't help the feeling of something off. He'd met this boy before, but he couldn't think of where. Maybe during one of his many trips to Konoha? During a festival? He couldn't think of a time he'd come into contact with such a loud person.

When Zabuza was injured, and he had to fake the mans death, all thoughts of the blond were whisked from his mind. He had to get Zabuza better quickly, or there really would be a problem with betrayal. Thankfully Gatou was weak and Zabuza was a fast healer.

That didn't stop him from going out to collect herbs though. Zabuza's recovery would be much faster if he had some help after all.

When he arrived at his favorite herb patch, he noticed a head of blond hair and quickly hid. What was that loud boy doing here? Had he somehow known this was where Haku collected his herbs? But that was impossible! The genin had never been to wave country before and he'd only just found this patch! Zabuza didn't even know about it!

So it was a coincidence, right? He could still go and gather what he needed. Feeling relieved, Haku quietly entered the clearing and froze again; this time a small smile was pulling at his lips. The blond from before had fallen asleep in the patch. From the looks of it he'd been training and just passed out.

Gently, he knelt beside the boys head and pushed some hair out of his face. "Where have I met you before? I know it's important somehow." He sighed a little and moved away to begin picking his herbs. "It had to have been at a festival, because I remember you were wearing a decorative yukata." He frowned a little and paused in his picking.

"It was in Konoha, I know that much already. Maybe during that Kyuubi festival? But we spent most of that time with Shurachi-kun." The blond twitched and Haku froze for a moment before moving back to his side. It would be better for both of them if Naruto wasn't to startled by his presence, so he would make himself known right away.

Blue eyes slowly blinked open, focused blurrily on his face, and a smile stretched the other boys lips. He yawned widely, showing off slightly sharpened fangs, and then blinked up at him again. "I know you…" he mumbled, obviously mostly asleep still.

Haku marveled briefly at the fact that anyone with shinobi training could be comfortable enough in his presence to remain so drowsy. "Shurachi-tousama was friends with you at the festival…" he trailed off, eyes widening in distress. "Ano, don't him I said that!! Shurachi-kun has already done so much for me, I couldn't stand it if he decided to ignore me again!"

Naruto shot up and Haku jerked back to avoid his head being smacked. "It isn't like I'm ungrateful to him! What would Kiba say? His mom can't be my dad! I don't have a dad, please don't tell them!" He turned pleading eyes on Haku and the older shinobi blinked as he realized where he'd seen this boy before.

His own blue eyes softened "I won't tell them Naruto-kun, I promise. But what are you doing way out here?" Naruto blushed a little in embarrassment.

"I was training, but it got really late and I was to tired to head back into the village. You can't tell Shurachi-kun that either, he'd skin me alive for falling asleep without any protection!" Naruto laughed a little awkwardly and scratched at the back of his head. "What are you doing out here? And…um…I'm sorry…but…Ikindofforgotyourname."

Haku blinked, then sat back with a small laugh. "It's alright Naruto-kun, my name is Haku. I promise not to tell Shurachi-kun about you sleeping out here so long as you don't do it again. You never know when a random missing nin might show up and kill you."

The basket was lifted and shaken enough to draw Naruto's attention to it. "As for what I'm doing, gathering herbs. My stores are low and I need to restock them. I didn't want to wake you up when you seemed so peaceful."

The Kyuubi vessel's eyes seemed to brighten. "Would you mind if I helped? I mean, I understand if you do, but Shurachi-kun always let me help him when he was working in his herb garden and it was fun to learn about them…" he trailed off again, obviously trying not to ramble.

The other shinobi's gentle smile was reassuring though, and the pair got to work gathering herbs. When they were done Haku silently patted Naruto's head and disappeared into the trees, while Naruto waved happily and headed back to Tazuna's home.

He'd been expecting this, though he'd rather hoped to get out of having to fight the ball of sunshine. This was one of Shurachi-kun's pups, he didn't want to hurt him. Maybe he could just knock him out like he'd done with Zabuza? It would look like he was dead, but the recovery wouldn't be so bad once all the needles were removed.

Haku threw the needed senbon, and gasped as the Uchiha child jumped in the way. What a foolish thing to do! The needles could have hit the wrong places and done real damage if he'd landed even a fraction of a degree wrong! And now poor Naruto would think that Haku had killed his teammate as well! Though, he didn't know that the masked shinobi he was fighting was the same boy he'd met not to long ago.

"You killed him!" Naruto's hoarse voice cut through his thoughts. "You killed Sasuke!" Chakra began to swirl, becoming visible; terrifying. The face of some sort of demon slowly emerged and snarled at him before he was being punched out of his ice dome. He felt his mask crack, pieces slowly falling away.

Blue eyes, so much brighter than his own, widened and gained a suspicious glint. "Ha-Haku? What? But…you're Shurachi-kun's friend!" Haku sighed quietly and took a step forward.

Naruto hastily stepped back, his dangerous chakra flickering around him. "I am his friend Naruto, I'm yours too. I promise you that, Sasuke was it?, will be just fine. I simply put him to sleep. Once you pull out all the needles he'll be perfectly healthy again." His soothing voice didn't seem to be doing much for the hyperventilating blond.

"Why would you attack us? I thought…" He blinked, keeping back tears. Why was he getting so emotional over something like this?

Haku sighed and took another step forward, this one didn't cause the blond to retreat and so he continued until he could wrap his arms around the considerably smaller boy. "It was either we attack you, without really intending to kill you, or Gatou's men did it with every intent to wipe you out." He wiped the tear that managed to escape away.

"Now fight me like a shinobi Naruto-kun, show me that Shurachi-kun should be proud of you. We can pretend we're just sparring." He pulled a pair of senbon up into a defensive position and waited for Naruto to rush him with a kunai before dodging and scraping the younger shinobi's cheek.

They moved like this for a while, until both Zabuza and Haku allowed themselves to be "caught" by the Konoha shinobi. It was about this time that Gatou showed up with his men as well. Short work was made of them, with Haku and Zabuza joining the fray. Gatou's head was removed sometime during the fighting and then they were gone.

Haku would go when his lord came for him, but until then he was still Zabuza's weapon, still useful. The bloody senbon in his hand, a little slip of red tinted paper on the end, attested to this fact. They would collect their money for the killing of Gatou and be on their way.

He only hoped that the Inuzuka alpha would come back soon. He was beginning to get restless again.

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So, this was a shorter chapter. I don't remember if I mentioned it, but the next one will be extra long. It will also have a flash back, despite how much I hate flashbacks. Of course….I could always shorten it! -insert evil laughter- No, I wouldn't do that.

I do have a question for you all though. Should Dumbledore be evil or not? I'm kind of on the fence about this right now, so your vote could be the deciding factor! Review and vote, okay? And tell me what you think of the chapter!

Evil!Dumble 0

Good!Dumble 0

Taku


	33. Chapter 33

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** Woo, I'm tired and the lawsuits aren't worth it. I don't claim to own, you don't sue.

**Note:** Okee. I am experiencing writers block…again. It may be some time before the next chapter comes out because of that. However! I must say that Good!Dumbles is certainly in the lead. On top of that, since he's getting Haku soon, should I write a Lemon for them? More at the bottom of this chapter!

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Shurachi slipped quietly into his room, glad that it was the middle of the night. It had taken the better part of the day to give all the details to the Hokage in a verbal, and then written report. He was looking forward to getting a shower and making breakfast for his pups.

Dropping his clothing to the floor carelessly, Shurachi didn't bother to glance at the small body sleeping in his futon. Naruto had mentioned in one of his letters that he was using Shurachi's room while the other was away.

Slipping out of his dirty traveling clothes, Shurachi stepped under the warm shower spray. He also had Haku to consider. Should he go out and find him now? He wasn't going to be back permanently, would he be able to bring him along when he returned to those damn wizards?

Could he maybe leave Haku in his home to take care of his pups while he was gone? Their eating habits had declined since he'd left.

He also had Jonathan to think about. The boy had been very upset when Shurachi had come by the hospital wing and let him know that the shinobi would be leaving for a while. The way he'd reacted kind of worried Shurachi, it was almost like the boy was losing an older brother rather than a professor.

flashback

Shurachi waved Hajime off as they passed the doors to the hospital wing. The other jyônin could pack their things for them while he got his arm looked at, if not fixed. The first thing he noticed about the room when he entered was the smell. It was very clean, almost exactly like the hospitals back home. For some reason, this reassured him.

The second thing he noticed was all the first years. They made up the majority of the patients in the room. From the looks of it they were simply being checked over and berated by their heads of house.

Madame Pomfrey was standing off to the side, organizing some potions bottles. Shurachi was grateful that she wasn't to busy, he'd have hated to interrupt her. So, walking over to her and clearing his throat, the Inuzuka motioned toward his limp arm.

"If you could please take a look at my arm Pomfrey-sensei. The bones seem to have been shattered by some sort of curse." He absently directed a bit of chakra to the area to help immobilize it while the rest if the kikai evacuated that portion of his arm for the lower half.

She stared at him, probably wondering if he was serious, then waved her wand over the area. Almost immediately afterward, Shurachi found himself herded to a bed with potions being thrust toward his mouth. He refused to swallow any of them however.

"What's wrong with you, you silly child? Drink the potions so we can fix that arms of yours!" She cried, drawing the attention of the rest of the room.

He frowned at her "I will drink nothing until you explain to me what it is. For all I know you could be trying to poison me, ply me with a truth serum, or simply wish to see what will happen if you attempt to force me into something."

She pursed her lips but obligingly held up a light blue potion. "This one will gather all the bone shards together in the right order." He drank it as she wished and barely even twitched as the pieces tore new paths through his muscle in an effort to take on their original shape.

"This one will cement the pieces together into a whole bone again." She handed him a dark green potion and he drank that one as well, relaxing marginally when a cool sensation filled his upper arm.

A bright orange potion was produced and handed to him, though he waited for the explanation before downing it. "That one will close up any cuts that are still bleeding, like that one on your cheek."

"And this one," here she plucked a swirling purple and black potion off the tray ", this one will get rid of those bugs that seem to had entered your body. I've never heard of Death Eaters doing that to someone, but it can't be healthy."

The Mediwitch held the potion out expectantly, and frowned when Shurachi merely pushed it back toward her. "Thank you Pomfrey-sensei, but the bugs were something intentional. Where I come from they are a weapon of sorts used by a certain clan. They are more of an asset than a health risk."

The woman sputtered, but Shurachi ignored her in favor of plucking up a swirling yellow and green potion. "What is this one for?" he asked politely.

The woman sniffed unhappily, but told him what it did anyway. "That one will repair your muscles and increase calcium production until the bone is completely healed. Once you take that one don't take nay other potions for twenty four hours. Don't do anything with your arm either, it wouldn't take much to displace part of the bone while it's repairing."

Shurachi nodded and downed the potion, barely noticing the horrid flavor. All of the first years were watching him in slight awe, wondering how he ignored the taste of the potions so easily.

One first year in particular was watching him. Jonathan waited until Shurachi had left the hospital wing before slipping around the tiny Professor Flitwick and darting through the still swinging doors.

"Inuzuka-sensei!" Shurachi stopped, and then steadied the first year as he barreled into the older male's legs. "Inuzuka-sensei, thank you for saving us. I know we shouldn't have been out there, but the bigger kids were saying how fun it was and I didn't want to let them call me a coward and we really didn't know that Death Eaters were going to attack and-"

Shurachi cut him off by crouching in front of the child. "You're right that you shouldn't have been out there. A good shinobi doesn't let taunts like that endanger his mission, and your mission was to keep yourself safe." He sighed and ruffled the child's hair with his newly healed arm.

"But you aren't a shinobi in training, no matter how much I sometimes think you and the others are." A stern look settled on his features. "You will behave while I'm gone. I don't want to come back and find out you've snuck out of the castle on a Hogsmead weekend again. Do you understand?"

Jonathan nodded sullenly and Shurachi quickly disappeared before the child could realize what he'd said.

Flashback end

The water trickled slightly cold and he sighed. Time to get out if the water was running cold to the bathroom.

Once he'd taken his shower and changed into a sleeping yukata, Shurachi moved downstairs to the kitchen and began to prepare a large breakfast. Hajime was going to clean up and then come over for breakfast and to let the kids know they were back for a while.

He was checking the rice when a small noise behind him made him pause. A kunai pressed to the small of his back, something he could have dodged without issue, and a tired voice growled at him to not move. A small quirk of his lips was hidden as he dipped his head forward.

"Who are you and what are you doing in this house?" the voice growled and Shurachi bit back a grin. Naruto could certainly sound intimidating!

"Answer me!" The kunai bit into his back, causing a small tear in the apron string. Shurachi began to quietly tend to the rice again, ignoring the order. What would Naruto do to protect his house? Would he really go through with what his threat was implying?

He'd been careful not to wake anyone, but he hadn't been trying to keep his presence a secret once he started breakfast. Honestly, he'd expected to have someone investigating earlier than this. The Kunai pressed a little harder, then eased up as Naruto woke up more.

It was a great shinobi secret, kept carefully from the civilians, that most shinobi weren't actually morning people. In fact, a good deal of the instantaneous waking up that they seemed to do was entirely fake. Shurachi did wake up as soon as he sat up, but Hajime took nearly a half hour, or a soldier pill, before he was awake enough to actually make sense of anything besides "Enemy, kill. Friend, don't kill."

Naruto appeared to have learned this trick, appearing alert when you were still half asleep, and was only marginally faster at registering reality than Hajime.

"Sit down Naruto, breakfast is almost done. Where are the other two? Hajime sent word that they weren't at his place and usually Kiba is mauling the breakfast table as soon as he smells food." Naruto took a step back, dropped his kunai, and then hurried to get a look at the intruder's face.

When he did, the blonds face lit up. "Shurachi!" His yell was loud enough to make Shurachi flinch a little, his sensitive ears throbbing at the volume. Something upstairs crashed and Shurachi dearly hoped it wasn't anything irreplaceable.

He didn't have long to worry though, because his arms were soon full of enthusiastic blond _**jinchuriki **_and the sound of feet pounding down stairs was drowning out anything else.

A body pelted into his side, a face burying itself there with a little yip of happiness. He could feel his brothers sensitive nose rubbing enthusiastically against his ribs, taking in his scent as any Inuzuka would do when their parent was away from them for a long time.

Then Shino was attached to his other side, Naruto having taken all the space in the front. A swarm of kikai swirled above them, his own automatically crawling out to investigate the excitement joined the swarm. He smiled down at them, doing his best to hug all three.

"And how have my boys been doing with me away?" Shurachi asked and then grinned as they all began to talk at once. Even Shino, who was usually content to let Kiba do all the talking for them, was eagerly telling him about some of the things he'd learned while training with his team. Kiba of course peppered his opinion on what Shino was saying into the conversation as well as boasting about how easy the missions were for him tot do.

He let them continue to talk over each other, following all three conversations with the ease of long practice. He'd become very good at gathering information from more than two people at the same time when he'd been a genin. He'd had to in order to deal with both Iruka and Renji as well as whatever random genin showed up to ask for his help in something.

The tea began to steam, loudly, and the boys quieted. "It sounds like you've had quite the interesting time since I was gone. Perhaps I should have stayed away longer?" Shurachi mused as he carefully removed the steaming pot from the stove.

All three boys tightened their hold on him, Kiba even managing to open his mouth to deny this idea, when Hajime made his presence known.

"I think we should stay for a while first, it looks like three limpets have quite firmly attached themselves to you." He spared them a smile, even managing one that was a little less like a grimace for Naruto. Shurachi gave him an approving look and ushered all three boys to the table.

"They won't be so attached to me once I start training with them. They'll be begging for you to take me back out on the mission again!" Kiba and Naruto protested, loudly, that they would never want Shurachi to leave because of some training. Shino merely nodded his agreement, his talkative streak apparently satisfied.

Then the Aburame's attention was on his father and the kikai that were swarming near the stove separated. Shurachi's own returned to him, settling outside of his skin in order to calm down some before returning inside of him. Shino's moved over to his father and began to lightly tap against the openings that the older Aburame's kikai came out of.

Shurachi began to move dishes from the stove to the table, watching every now and then as kikai were slowly drawn out of Hajime. This was like the Inuzuka's need to reaffirm a parents scent upon return from a long mission. The kikai would mingled, sharing bits of chakra between them, then they would return with a full report on the other hosts health.

It was something of a joke between Hajime and Shurachi that Shino saw Shurachi as his mother, since he'd never really known her. The fact that Shino had felt the need to have a report from his kikai seemed to have proved that he was at least a strong parental figure to the boy.

Though it wasn't stronger than Hajime's bond with his son, because Shurachi's own kikai had come out without coaxing.

Once everyone was settled at the table, and eating the food Shurachi had made, everything settled down. There was quiet conversation about the boys missions, one moment of loud laughter when Akamaru knocked a piece of chicken out of Kiba's chopsticks, and then more silent eating.

It wasn't until everyone had headed to their own homes that Kiba mentioned Doku.

"Okaasan? Ano, what happened to Doku?" His brother paused in the cleaning of dishes, then picked up again a little more forcefully.

"He was taken down while fighting one of the people we were hired to kill. I'm only here long enough to train his…replacement." Shurachi grimaced at the word, not liking the implications at all. No one could replace Doku.

After that there wasn't any mention of the dog. Hajime must have warned Shino, Kiba probably warned Naruto, because neither boy asked about the missing canine either.

He'd been back for nearly three days when Kiba thought to inform him of a stray dog wandering their property. "We didn't want to do anything, because it growled at Kunimitsu-oji when he tried to get it into a pen. He said to just wait for you to get back or for it to wander off."

Shurachi frowned at his little brother and carefully set aside the kunai he'd been sharpening. It was a bonding activity that the pair had indulged in every weekend before Shurachi had left. "Does he look like a strong dog?"

Kiba shrugged and passed the wet sharpening stone over one edge of his shuriken. "He looks like he could be, if he wasn't covered in flees, ticks, malnourished, and possibly injured. He walks funny, like something's wrong with his back paw."

The elder Inuzuka hummed in the back of his throat and picked up a senbon. His were getting a little dull and would require much more force if he needed to use them as weapons. So a stray dog was wandering around, probably a strong one as well. "When was the last time you saw it?" Shurachi asked, then frowned as the senbon bent.

Tossing the useless needle aside, Shurachi reached for another one and began sharpening. Kiba switched his shuriken for a kunai before answering. "He usually shows up to get some food when we feed the dogs. He waits until everyone else has gotten something to eat before coming in to get what's left. I've been checking our dogs to make sure they haven't gotten any ticks or anything from him though, so don't worry about that."

Shurachi nodded and finished with his last senbon, giving him an uneven nine. He didn't much like the weapon, but having an uneven number like that was a little annoying. "I'll see what I can do about it tonight. If the dog attacks a villager we'll get blamed for it, even if it isn't one of ours." He grimaced at the thought of some Hyuuga getting bitten. As funny as it would be, he really didn't need to be worrying about such things.

That evening, when Shurachi and Kiba went out to fill up the food and water bowls, green eyes zeroed in on a scrawny creature hiding in the shade of some tree at the back of the yard. It was large, black, and would probably be an impressive sight once it was healthy. Now though, it just made him want to stuff it full of food.

The pack of dogs was excited to see them, as they always were, and pushed at each other to lick his hands or bump into his legs. Shurachi laughs and stroked each one that got close enough, very carefully not looking for the brown husky dog he'd grown up with.

He and Kiba spent nearly an hour outside playing with the dogs and just enjoying the enthusiastic company before he ordered his brother inside to get ready for bed. Kiba had a mission in the morning and Shurachi wasn't going to let him miss it just because he was back in town.

The canines calmed and drowsily wandered off to sleep once the sun was down and Shurachi pinned his gaze of the slow moving form emerging from the darkness. It looked at him for a moment, as if it were trying to decide if Shurachi was a threat, then it continued on to the fullest food dish and began to eat.

He repeated this several times, each time sitting closer to the fullest food bowl, until he felt reasonably sure of his safety. Once he was close enough to touch, Shurachi began to talk with the dog in a mix of canine sounds and human speech.

It didn't seem to mind, didn't seem to really notice at all really. Sometimes it would react to a growl or a whimper, but for the most part the dog was content to eat and slink off into the forest. Shurachi didn't try to make the creature stay, he was rather enjoying being home and wanted to delay his return to the mission as long as possible.

Snow had covered the ground, and been properly thrown at jyônin sensei's, before the dog broke the routine. It finished the food in the bowl, a much more fatty blend that helped keep the cold of winter from getting through canine fur, then moved to sit by Shurachi's feet.

Tired blue eyes seemed to inspect him before the creature let out a croak that might have been a bark in any other dog. Shurachi winced at the sound and carefully leaned forward to touch the dogs head. It sighed and pressed against his hand, letting him feel the scabs from the various parasites that had taken residence in its fur.

After a while of Shurachi carefully pulling ticks off one of it's ears the dog simply stood back up and trotted off. Shurachi crushed the last tick he'd managed to pick off and cleaned his hands in the snow. He wasn't to worried about fleas, his kikai wouldn't tolerate another insect living on him and had already dispatched of three. By the time he got into the house he wouldn't have a single one of his person.

The next day Shurachi carefully attached a flea collar when the dog came over to sit by his legs. It startled the animal, but didn't cause it to run off. Several more ticks met their end at the tips of Shurachi's fingers and the beast moved off to the trees.

Halfway through December, the dog once again broke their routine. He was looking healthier for the flea collar, which Shurachi replaced periodically, but he'd never consented to have anything else done about the bugs crawling through his fur.

This time, when he finished with his food, he walked over to nudge Shurachi's hand and then moved to paw at the quarantine building. It wasn't very big and contained only six dog pens, but it was where sick dogs were housed in order to keep the rest of the pack from getting ill as well.

Shurachi let him in without a fuss. The dog, which he'd taken to calling Sabishíi (lonesome), settled in one of the chakra rich corners that was designed to clean things out of fur. Sometimes the animals picked up things on missions and the chakra field that his sister had invented worked perfectly for getting rid of external nuisances.

Shurachi smirked a little. "I take it you'll become my new partner then Sabishíi?" A small croaking sound from the dog was his answer and Shurachi gently close the dog to the fenced in room. "We'll make sure you get well, then we'll worry about training and such. You're much to thin for me to do anything with you right now." An indignant huff and Shurachi laughed.

"You're right, you do look much better than you did, but you still aren't healthy." He smiled at the animal curling up in the corner and activated the chakra field that would keep anything from escaping the holding pen. "I'm glad you chose today to come in here. I have to leave for a while and I didn't want my pup to have to start gaining your trust all over again. He and my sister will look after your health while I'm gone, so be good for them Sabishíi."

The dog got out a more proper bark and Shurachi grinned a little at the noise. It seemed like Sabishíi's vocal chords were already enjoying the pampering of warm air. He left the building and scooped a rather startled Kiba into his arms. Shino hid a smirk behind his collar, but Naruto didn't hold back his laughter at the Inuzuka's startled expression.

It was a little awkward, but Shurachi got Kiba settled in his arms so the genin was sitting on his arm. "You, my darling little child, will be in charge of my new dog while I'm gone. I have to retrieve something I left in someone's care and I'll be leaving tonight." He kissed Kiba's cheek, winking at the other two genin sitting around his tea table.

"Kaasan! Put me down, I'm not a baby anymore!" Kiba complained, squirming in an attempt to escape his brothers clutches. Shurachi laughed and let him get away, making as if to snatch him back once he was out of range. "Geeze Okaasan, you could have just said you got the dog to trust you. You didn't have to pick me up like that!"

The older Inuzuka waved his hand through the air as if such a complaint didn't matter. "I have left enough food in the fridge to last a week, you are not to eat anything Hajime-nii cooks, Shino is in charge, and Akamaru is to find Kunimitsu-oji if something to do with the clan comes up. Am I understood?"

He eyed the three boys until each one had agreed then swept passed them and up the stairs. The long house robe he'd had on was removed and hung up, revealing standard shinobi snow gear. A sack of money was stashed in his pack and one last sweep of the room gained him the new set of kunai Iruka had gotten him for Christmas.

He'd given the academy teacher some exploding tag material in return, but Naruto had still berated them for not getting each other something a little less dangerous. For some reason the kid thought that Christmas gifts should be about peaceful things rather than practical things. He had, of course, gotten some darker colored clothing from both adults.

Slipping out his window, as was Shurachi's customary method of leaving for a personal mission, the jyônin couldn't stop a small smile from forming. "I'm coming for you little Haku, you had better be ready."

In a small hot spring in water country, Haku sneezed.

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Man, I hate flashbacks. A long chapter, just like I promised. I'll probably be writing some one-shots to try and kick my plot bunnies into mating season again. -sigh- Man, I hate writers block. Okay, Should there be a lemon? Review and let me know! Also, keep voting for Dumbledore, he's leaning toward the manipulative side! As of right now the Cerberus IS NOT going to be Doku's replacement. Have fun!

"Good"!Dumbles 19

Bad!Dumbles 9

Taku


	34. Chapter 34

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** I was in a lawsuit over the rights to Naruto and Harry Potter. I lost, but they did give me a year to kill myself before the lynch mob came after me!! :-D

**Note:** So I was gone for a very long time, as I'm sure you can see. But here is the finished version of this chapter and the next one is already started! This was the hardest chapter I have ever written ever. Also, I didn't feel like writing smut, sorry! On a not so good note, it may be a little while before I update again as my work load has tripled and my best friend attempted suicide last night.

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Shurachi sneezed as he scented the air. There was smoke, most likely campfire smoke, and that meant he was getting close. He'd been away for nearly a week already, plenty of time for all the unpleasant things he didn't want the dog to associate with him to be done. If he didn't find him in the next week then he'd have to return to Konoha and try again in the spring. Hokage-sama had only given him two weeks.

He could smell Haku on the wind though, so he doubted it would take the entire two weeks.

It was decidedly disconcerting to be wandering through wilderness without a dog at his side. He'd always had Doku with him and now that the dog was gone he felt as though he was missing a limb. Hopefully this new dog, Sabishíi, would bond with him tight enough to get rid of that feeling.

A sudden cloud of Haku's scent pulled him from his thoughts and green eyes focused on the small camp below him. Zabuza had already glanced up at him and turned away, rightly deciding Shurachi wasn't a threat at the moment. Haku had continued to set up their camp, only glancing around him every now and then to try and spot whoever the new chakra signature belonged to.

Shurachi didn't make him wait long. He dropped silently to the ground behind Haku and just barely managed to catch the fist that came flying at his face. The younger shinobi blinked at him, taking in the civilian clothing and the lack of a hitae-ate. He'd wanted to blend in better with the other travelers on the road, so he'd tucked his shinobi gear into his pack.

Once it registered who, exactly, this man was, Haku's face broke into a smile. "Shurachi-kun!" He took a step forward and raised his arms, as if to embrace the Inuzuka, then seemed to second guess himself and instead merely smiled brightly.

Shurachi, for his part, let a warm smile take his lips before turning his attention to Zabuza. "Do you mind if I stay in your camp for tonight?" Haku's smiled faltered a little; he took a step back.

"So long as you aren't on a hunting mission." Came Zabuza's slightly surly reply and Shurachi bowed a little in thanks before dropping his pack to the ground.

Green eyes flickered to the uncertain form of Haku before Shurachi, with a little amused quirk of the lips, set about getting his own camping supplies set up. Only once he was settled in their small campsite did he turn his attention back on Haku.

The younger shinobi had let his bangs fall forward to cover his face and was silently tending to some sort of meat on the fire. Shurachi quirked a little smile as he imagined the teens bottom lip jutted out in a pout.

Zabuza raised an eyebrow as Shurachi silently crept behind Haku and slid his arms around the smaller males waist.

Haku straightened up with a small squeak and twisted his head to look at Shurachi. "Shurachi-kun…?" He mumbled, a blush over taking his cheeks.

The Inuzuka smiled at him and squeezed in a small hug. "You'll be coming home with me tomorrow Haku." The blush darkened and even Zabuza couldn't stop himself from grinning at the younger shinobi's obvious happiness.

Green eyes lifted to inspect the swordsman even as Haku turned around to return the hug. "You'll also be welcome in our village. Konoha holds no treaty with Kirigakure and Hokage-sama has given me permission to extend an open invitation to you."

"I don't have the papers needed to get passed the gate Inuzuka," Zabuza said.

Shurachi smirked and detached himself from Haku to search through his bag. A folder was pulled out, filled with papers, and handed over to Zabuza. "Those detail you as a traveling citizen of Konoha. It also lists you as Haku's father, meaning you can come visit him any time you like. It also includes a copy of Haku's official shinobi status for Konohagakure."

"It seems he was never actually registered in Kiri as a shinobi, so we don't have to worry about Bingo Book Red Tape and since you aren't registered as a shinobi in Konoha, merely the civilian father of a shinobi, we aren't required to send out a warning to other villages that you're no longer a missing nin."

He settled himself beside the fire and wrapped his arm around Haku when the other immediately sat beside him. "Of course, this also means we can't control your actions outside of our village. So if you happen to take a job that benefits Konoha, well, it was hardly our idea."

There was silence for several long seconds before Zabuza chuckled and tucked the papers into his own travel pack. After that there was little talk, and what was said was only polite inquiries into health.

When the sun began to peak through the leaves surrounding them, Shurachi moved from his already packed bag and settled beside Haku. Very gently, he trailed a finger down the younger shinobi's cheek then cupped it. A quick glance at Zabuza showed he'd turned away from them.

Braids trailed thickly across his back as Shurachi leaned forward and then their lips were touching and he could feel something tight unwind in his stomach. It warmed when Haku slid a hand up his chest and over his shoulder.

He kept it clean, almost innocent even. Their lips remained closed and he pulled away after he was sure Haku was awake.

"Come on Haku, we should get going. I left a new dog in Konoha that I'll need to start training." The ice user blinked sleepily up at him, but complied with his order and began to gather his things. Shurachi picked up his own bag and launched himself onto a tree branch to give the pair in the clearing some privacy.

When he was joined in the trees they set off toward Konoha.

When they arrived it took a little pulling of rank and some very light intimidation to get the chûnin guards to let Haku in. He had the papers, but they were wary of people trying to sneak in and sabotage the chûnin exams ahead of time. They met no problems on their way to the Inuzuka compound and silently crept into the just waking house.

Or rather already awake house. Apparently the boys had gotten wise to his preference for arriving in the early morning. Of course, he would never protest having the three of them hug him so he wrapped his arms around them and simply enjoyed being home.

Haku touched his back and he straightened a little. "Boys, I would like you to meet my….ah….boyfriend, Haku." He pulled the other forward and quirked a small smile as the three boys stared up at his small lover. Then Naruto gasped and pointed dramatically at Haku, a look of recognition on his face.

"You! You were that boy in Wave Country! Why didn't you say your were Shurachi-kun's boyfriend!?" Haku blinked at Naruto, momentarily confused, before he remembered what the other was talking about.

"Well Naruto-kun, I wasn't exactly sure what I was to him back then." He smiled disarmingly and tilted his head just enough to appear cutely innocent. All three genin melted and bowed a little while introducing themselves. Haku did the same, introducing himself again, then let Shurachi lead him into the kitchen and sit him at the table.

The Inuzuka Clan Head looked over his family and frowned a little. Someone was missing from his table. A quick kikai was sent off to inform Hajime that he was expected for breakfast and the jyônin began cooking. "Now that you've all properly met, it's only fair to tell you that Haku will likely be living on Inuzuka grounds if not in this very house."

Kiba looked up sharply, understanding better than the other two what that would mean. "He will also make sure you eat something other than convenience food once I return to my mission. I want you to treat him the same you would treat me." Noticing the sly smiles starting to form, green eyes narrowed. "Better than you would treat me then." The smiles dropped.

Haku covered his laugh and winked at the three pouting boys. They would get Shurachi back for that. The mental plotting was interrupted by the deliberate step of someone entering the kitchen. Everyone turned to look at Hajime, who was eyeing both Naruto and Haku warily. "I was sleeping Shurachi, but I just can't resist the call of your food."

Said Inuzuka snorted and began placing dishes on the table. "I hardly believe that Hajime. I want you to meet Haku, my boyfriend. He'll be staying here." Hajime quirked a small smile and sketched a bow.

With a sly smile on his lips, the older Aburame settled at the table and began to make his plate. "So this is that delicious scent from the woods is it? Well, I certainly understand why you rushed off to find it." Haku blushed cherry blossom pink and ducked his head towards his rice bowl.

Green eyes rolled and Shurachi tossed a roll at Hajime's head, which was neatly caught and eaten. "Quit embarrassing people at the table Hajime-nii. Eat your breakfast boys." The three boys, who had been snickering, quickly bent to their food. "And don't mind him Haku, he's just jealous because he doesn't have someone as pretty as you."

Laughter broke out as Kiba piped up "He has Shino though!" and then looked around in confusion as the adults laughed and Shino ducked his head with a blush. Naruto controlled his own snickering by stuffing his face with a roll of sweet bread.

Once breakfast was over Hajime quickly rushed out, saying he had to turn in a report for the small border patrol mission he'd done the night before. The boys were also herded out, a stern command to go do their missions in Shurachi's eyes. They grumbled, but there wasn't any open rebellion when he gave them their bentos so he didn't comment.

He took the time to clean the dishes they'd used, explaining everything he could think of about Konoha to Haku. Then he was done, with no work to do, and a very pretty man sitting at his table. He turned to look at Haku, green eyes taking in the small smile and the gracefully folded hands. They swept over the delicate face and focused on the slightly parted lips.

"Haku…" he murmured, taking a slow step toward the other male. Haku looked up at him in curiosity, flushing a little at the intense look in Shura's eyes.

The ice user didn't let that scare him though. Instead he carefully moved to face Shurachi, his knees separating a little to accommodate the new position, and smiled coyly up at the Inuzuka. "Yes Shurachi-kun?" He whispered, eyelids lowering so he was peering through his lashes.

A pink tongue darted out to wet chapped lips and Shurachi took another step forward, his hands cupping Haku's face. "Are you curious to see what a shinobi can do that a village boy can't, my little love?"

Breath hitching, Haku nodded slightly and moaned when those recently wetted lips slid smoothly over his own gloss moistened ones. Thin, pale hands crept over Shura's shoulders to grip tightly at the fabric and the younger male gasp when the Inuzuka pressed a leg between Haku's thighs.

They separated, Haku panting cutely and Shura lifting him bodily out of the chair so his legs were wrapped around the taller's waist. Haku quickly set to work nibbling Shura's throat as the older stumbled up the stairs to his room. He wanted Haku, but he didn't want his pups to see how much he wanted the smaller male. There was also the issue of stinking up the kitchen with the scent of sex, which he knew any Inuzuka would be able to smell.

It wasn't as slow or as gentle as Shura would have liked to make their first time, but Haku's keening whines and wriggling body made it difficult to control himself. When it was done and he'd pulled Haku onto his chest he promised himself he would be more careful next time. There was a small bit of pink on the sticky white of his cock and it worried him. For now though, they would bask in the afterglow and enjoy the lazy morning sun.

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So what did you think? Good, bad, to damn long between updates? I might write the smut scene later, but for now it's a no go. The updates will become more frequent, I promise! Review and let me know I still have people reading, okay?

Taku


	35. Chapter 35

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** I saw Naruto characters at BanzaiCon, but I was Edward Elric so I don't even own a costume for Naruto. Sadness.

**Note:** Hi guys! -waves enthusiastically- New chapter! I just got back from BanzaiCon and was feeling super inspired to finish this chapter, so here it is! Review it, okay?

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Shurachi grumbled quietly to himself as light slid into his eyes. It had been a few months since he'd gone to get Haku and already he was used to having something warm in bed with him again. So when he realized that is what was missing he sat up and glared around himself. Haku was sitting at his desk, all the way on the other side of the room.

A slick tongue licked his foot and he jerked it back with a small yelp, ignoring the quiet giggle of his lover across the room. Green eyes focused on the large black dog, whose tail was wagging happily. "Sabishíi…" He growled and the canine yipped at him then scurried over to Haku to lick his hands.

Shurachi fell back on his futon with a little laugh at the startled look on Haku's face. "Don't tell me you've never been licked before!" Shurachi crowed, a wide grin splitting his face.

The smaller male huffed and crossed his arms, a pout pushing his pink lips out. Shurachi's grin softened into a quirky smile and he rolled out of the warmth of ?his futon. "Never been licked then, my little lover? Well, this is certainly something I should remedy isn't it?" He purred. Haku shifted a little, his attention caught, and kept a wary eye on his advancing lover.

"What do you mean by remedy Shurachi? No, you stay back! Hey!" Haku was swept up, into Shurachi's arms and quickly deposited on the futon. The older male settled himself over the smaller and leaned forward to run his tongue from collarbone to ear.

Giggles filled the room as Shurachi proceeded to lick, nibble, and suck on various pieces of exposed flesh. He'd gotten Haku into the habit of only wearing a thin pair of pants to bed and so had his choice of torso to explore.

The giggles were turning to moans and the pants were doing very little by way of modesty when the door burst open and a heavy body crashed into Shurachi with an excited yell. The Inuzuka wasted no time in pulling out a kunai and stabbing it down into the cuff of his attackers pants. The fabric ripped as the other rolled away and bounced up grinning, ignoring the tear in his pants.

"Kaa-san! Guess what, guess what, guess what!!" Kiba said enthusiastically, bouncing up and down on the spot. Shurachi blinked at him, carefully sniffed the air, and then groaned into his palm.

"Kiba, next time please knock, or use your nose." The genin paused in his bouncing to sniff the air and then turned a brilliant shade of red. "Yes, we were a little busy. But now that you're here, what is this great news you just had to tell me?" Shurachi gave his pup a reassuring smile and Kiba grinned widely at him.

The genin straightened up, puffed out his chest, and announced in a proud voice, "You are looking at one of the participants of the chûnin exams that are happening in our village soon!"

A strange expression crossed quickly over Shura's face, neither Haku nor Kiba noticing it. Then he was smiling and enfolding the younger shinobi in his arms. He felt the genin's own arms wrap around him and he pressed a kiss to the boys head. "Congratulations Kiba-pup. I'll have to teach you and Akamaru a new jutsu for this occasion. It can be your secret weapon."

He pulled back to wink at his younger brother and scratched behind Akamaru's ears. "We'll have to invite Shino and his father over for a celebratory dinner. Do you think your other teammate, Hyuuga Hinata, would like to come over as well? I know our clans don't really get along, but she seemed like a nice enough girl when you introduced us."

Kiba's face lit up and he launched himself at Shura for a tighter hug before darting across the room to catch Haku in a squeezing hug as well. The ice user shot Shura a surprised look, having never been hugged by anyone but Shura and his mother. He reacted fast enough to hug the pup back though and laughed a little as the boy pulled away with a shit eating grin.

"I'm going to go tell Shino and he can come with me to get Hinata! Bye Kaasan, bye Haku-chan, come on Akamaru!" The dog barked in excitement, his tail wagging as the charged energy of the room infected him with more cheerfulness.

The door slammed behind the dog and Shura turned a soft smile on his lover. "It looks like my pup likes you well enough Haku. Now let me show you just how much I like you." He made his way to his sitting lover and pressed him back into the futon.

Haku smiled a sultry smile up at the Inuzuka and slid his hands over slim shoulders. "I think you should show me just how much you like me. You should-" he cut himself off with a gasp as Shura slipped a hand down his pants and tugged teasingly on the dark curls hidden there.

"Never fear little ice flake, I don't disappoint." He was lowering his mouth to Haku's at an achingly slow pace when his door slammed open again. He had just enough time to glimpse something orange before he was slammed into bodily for the second time that day.

There was an intake of air before a loud voice practically shouted in his ear. "I made it into the chûnin exams Shurachi-kun! Kakashi-sensei says we can enter!" The Inuzuka winced and flinched away from the ear splitting cry and carefully lifted the squirming body off of himself.

"That's wonderful Naruto, but try not to yell next time. My hearing is very sensitive you know." The blond was already flushed from excitement and couldn't do anything but grin. "Now, I'm making dinner to celebrate Kiba getting into the exams as well. I'd be happy if you'd come so I can congratulate all of my pups together."

Naruto's face lit up even more and he squeezed Shurachi in a tight hug. "Thank you Shurachi-kun! Can I invite Sakura? You've met her, she's one of my teammates."

The Inuzuka made an amused face as the boy went off about how wonderful he thought Sakura was, only frowning slightly when Naruto called Sasuke a bastard. "I know I taught you better than that Naruto, watch your words. You'll also invite Sasuke to dinner because I doubt he'll have anyone but his team to celebrate with."

The jinchuriki couldn't argue against the stern look his almost-father was giving him and instead grumbled a small agreement. Then he moved over to hug Sabishíi and then Haku before hugging Shura one last time. "When do you want us here?" He asked as he was moving toward the door.

Shura thought for a moment before deciding. "Right after training. I'm sure you'll all be very hungry by then." He laughed as Naruto flashed him a grin and tumbled out of the room, closing the door quietly behind himself. Haku laughed a little breathlessly and pushed himself up onto his feet.

"Well Shurachi, it looks like we have a feast to make. You've invited two teams of genin and Hajime, who eats enough to be a shinobi team all his own." Shurachi laughed and snagged one last kiss before pulling on some clothes, securing his hitae-ate, and slipping downstairs to see what he would need to buy.

Meanwhile, Naruto was trying to figure out how he was going to get Sasuke to come so Sakura would as well. He couldn't really threaten him, because Sasuke would just fight with him until they were both to tired to continue. He didn't think he had any good blackmail either, not since he'd used the picture of Sasuke being taken down by his fan girls.

Maybe if he begged enough the jerk would agree? And if the jerk agreed then Sakura would want to go as well. But if the jerk went then Sakura would only pay attention to him and Naruto would be ignored. He didn't get why she liked him anyway, he was always mean to her.

His time for planning was over though, because he could see the sulky wonder coming toward him with his fluttering pink flower trailing after. The Uchiha stopped right before him and grunted a greeting. Naruto scowled, debated the pros and cons of not inviting Sasuke like Shurachi asked, then finally swallowed his tongue.

"Shurachi-kun wants you to come to dinner with us to celebrate getting into the exams. I only wanted to invite Sakura, but he said you should come as well because we were part of a team and teams should celebrate together." Naruto grimaced, as if the very words were painful to him. "Anyway, if you don't come Shurachi might think I didn't invite you, so at least tell him I did."

"I'll come." Sasuke said, but Naruto kept speaking until the words registered in his brain.

"You will?" He squeaked weakly. Sasuke merely nodded and Sakura brightened at the chance to go somewhere with Sasuke that he wasn't required to go.

She cleared her throat "I'll come too Naruto. When did this Shurachi person want us to come by?" Naruto turned a blinding smile on the girl and told her what Shurachi had said.

All three of them jumped in surprise, Sasuke not so much, when Kakashi's voice called out from a tree. "Should I feel hurt that I'm not invited?"

Naruto's face pinked and he frowned a little at his teacher. "You can come too, I'm sure Shurachi-kun won't mind." Kakashi clapped his hands together, as if in glee.

Then he dropped from the tree and pulled out his little orange book. "Wonderful, I'll finally get to find out why Aburame-san always has a lunch made by Shurachi rather than making his own." Naruto pulled a small grin as he thought about what would happen if Hajime ever tried to make his own lunch.

Kiba howled outside of Shino's window, grinning when Akamaru started to call out as well. He only stopped when his friends head poked out it's window and the boy tossed a rolled up sock at him. He let it hit, knowing that his friend expected him too, and made wide waving motions.

Shino rolled his eyes, or Kiba thought he rolled his eyes anyway. It was kind of hard to tell behind those glasses. "What do you want Inuzuka?" The bug user called down.

The younger genin waited for his friend to gather his tings and jump out his window before explaining. "Kaasan said we should eat at my house tonight to celebrate us getting into the exam. He said our whole team should. So, I came to get you to keep me from beating up those smug Hyuuga bastards." Shino pushed his glasses up and appeared to be thinking.

"You realize that Hinata is a Hyuuga? And that Shurachi-oba would kill you if he heard you saying bastard?" Kiba waved his hand in the air, being careful not to hit any of the flying bugs.

Snorting a little, Shino lead the way outside of the Aburame compound and into the streets. Kiba caught up to walk beside him and Akamaru whimpered for attention in his arms. Another snort escaped the Aburame, but this one was softer and Akamaru waved his tail. The quiet genin snaked out a hand to pet the dogs ears then tucked itself back into his sleeve.

They arrived at the imposing gates to the Hyuuga compound and informed the guard that they needed to see Hyuuga Hinata, she was part of their genin team, yes they were allowed to see her, yes this kunai was real. When Hinata was outside of the gates Kiba threw an arm around her shoulders and led her back into the village, explaining why they were there.

She stuttered out an agreement then began to press her fingers together. "Ano, don't you th-think we should invite sensei? Inuzuka-sama said that the whole team should celebrate didn't he?" Kiba frowned a little, not having thought of their sensei. The boys looked at each other before Kiba pulled Akamaru out of his coat.

Curious eyes stared up at him from the dogs face and he cleared his throat. "Find Kurenai-sensei Akamaru. You remember her scent?" The dog barked out an affirmative and sniffed at the ground. He began to lead them on a winding path through the city, demanding to be put on a roof every now and then.

When he finally stopped, they were at a small apartment complex. He sniffed at the air and found their sensei's scent to be the most concentrated in a room at the end of the little walkway. "She lives here guys, but her scent is so thick I can't tell if she's home or not."

Shino shrugged and moved to knock on the door. They wait a few seconds before it opened and their teacher appeared. "Kiba, Shino, Hinata? What are you doing here?" Kiba explained and Kurenai grabbed her coat before following the three into the village.

Back at the Inuzuka compound, Haku found himself chopping carrots while Shurachi put the desert they were going to have in the fridge to cool. The carrots were dropped into the pan and fried up with several other vegetables. Strips of beef were included and Shurachi stirred a large pot of ramen. It was a celebration, so he would make all his pups their favorite food, even if he didn't agree on the food in question.

Both of their attention was drawn to the window when someone tapped on it. Hajime waved at them and pulled Iruka into their view. Shura took in the school teachers exhausted form before nodding. The pair came into the kitchen and Hajime pushed Iruka into a seat.

The teacher attempted to protest, but Shurachi pushed a spoon full of sweet sauce into his mouth. "No complaining. I heard from Naruto that you have his protégé in your class, you need a bit of pampering. Plus, I haven't seen you in a while. You're always so busy with grading papers and figuring out lesson plans."

Shurachi pulled out a new spoon and began to stir the sauce. "Mitsuo is always doing things with Hasunuma-sensei as well, so I never see him. I don't even know where Renji went. He accepted that mission a while back and I haven't seen him since! How does the sauce taste."

"Fine." Iruka choked out.

A frown pulled at the corners of Shura's lips and he used a small spoon to taste it. "Are you sure it doesn't need more apple? It tastes a bit bland to me."

Iruka nodded and took a sip from the glass of water Haku handed him. "It's fine Shura-chan, I promise. Who's this though?" He gestured to Haku, who was wiping down the chopping board with a moist rag.

When he mentioned he looked up and then directed his gaze to Shurachi, who was looking sheepish. "Sorry Iruka. This is Haku, my lover. Haku, this is Iruka. He was on my genin team." Haku bowed a little and Iruka repeated the gesture. Then the smooth motion of the pair working in the kitchen started again.

Hajime settled in a chair across from Iruka and carefully checked his weapons. He didn't want one to vanish as they were prone to do when Kiba was feeling vengeful. "So who all is coming? He asked as Haku set a glass of water in front of him. He smiled at the pretty male and took a sip.

"I invited both Kiba and Naruto's genin teams. Their sensei's will probably be coming as well since my pups wouldn't want to make anyone feel left out. Everyone will, of course, be civil to each other because I will be very unhappy if you aren't." He gave Hajime a look and the man rolled his eyes. Was it his fault Kurenai couldn't take a joke? Or let a grudge go after twenty years?

A small ding announced the finishing of the rolls and Shurachi smiled then began loading up the table. There were several dishes, all the favorites of his pups. Speaking of pups, he could hear the rowdy sounds of six teenagers and what smelled like their sensei's wandering toward his kitchen.

This was going to certainly be a very interesting dinner.

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The dinner and some other stuff next time! Review and let me know how you like it! Also, I had a question about my playing World of Warcraft. I play on the Fenris sever, am a lvl 45 night elf rogue, and my toon name is Jaratakuni. Feel free to message or /hug me!

Taku


	36. Chapter 36

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** I plead the fifth!

**Note:** So the little ebit that I took off the end is going t5o be the next chapter of Puppies of a Feather because I don't want to pronz up this story but I'm having trouble with the site I usually put these scenes in. Once it's all fixed up I switch it, but for now please go to my profile, look for the other stories I have, and go to the last chapter of PoaF.

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He'd had to bring out an end leaf(1) for the table to make enough room, but everyone was seated and enjoying some good food. He greeted Kakashi and Kurenai and congratulated all of the children on making it into the exams. There had been quiet murmurs of conversation while everyone got their favored foods and Shurachi couldn't remember how many times he'd been thanked for the effort he must have put into the whole thing.

The Inuzuka was just starting to think that nothing to boisterous would happen when Naruto suddenly jumped up.

"Sasuke you bas-jerk!" Blue eyes flickered hurriedly to a frowning Shurachi then burned back on the calm Uchiha. "You did that on purpose!" The blond motioned to his soaked pants furiously, noodles falling to the floor.

Accused of dumping food on his teammate, Sasuke reacted remarkably calmly. That is, if call his scowl and gathering chakra calm. Everyone stopped eating to watch the pair of genin.

"It's hardly my fault if you're to stupid to keep your food in a bowl dobe." Sasuke took a delicate sip of his tea, just as he'd been taught, and set the cup down to have a bite of rice.

Neither noticed the slowly darkening look on Shurachi's face as Naruto flushed bright red. "Teme! How dare you call me stupid?! How many times have I saved your ass on missions? Who was it that beat you into the ground last time we trained as a team!"

Sasuke shot to his feet, his face turning red. "I've beaten you just as many times and saved you during missions way more than you've saved me! If anything, you should be thanking me for keeping you alive all this time! I could have just let those bandits take you off to whatever nefarious place they wanted!"

A dark cloud was gathering over the table and it wasn't entirely the imaginations of those at the table. Kikai were emerging from Shurachi in response to his ever souring mood.

"You ass! I'll have you know that I could have taken those bandits out if you'd just given me five seconds! I could have-" He was cut off by the sound of Shurachi slamming his hands down on the table. It cracked ominously and the Aburame sitting on either side quickly grabbed a side of the table to keep the food from falling.

Silence rang in the room as green eyes glared steely threats at the genin. "Sit. Down." Naruto gulped and both of them hastily took their seats. "Good. Now, this is a dinner celebrating the genin cells ability to work together well enough to be nominated to take the chûnin exams. This is _not _a dinner that I made for the pair of you to argue at."

The steel in his eyes turned glacial as he saw Naruto's mouth open. "And Uzumaki Inuzuka Naruto, how dare you say such things in my house! I know you weren't raised to have such a crass vocabulary! The same goes for you Uchiha Sasuke! I certainly didn't teach you to spout profanities and insults when you were invited a clan heads home for dinner!"

Both boys pinked in the cheeks and looked down in shame. The buzzing of the kikai above their heads quieted and the insects retuned to their host. "Now, I want you to head upstairs Naruto-kun. I'll get you something clean to wear." As the orange clad genin moved to the stairs, Shurachi pulled out his wand and tapped it on the table. Instantly, the crack was repaired.

"Please excuse their behavior everyone. Enjoy the rest of the meal." He beckoned for Sasuke to follow him out of the room.

Once in the small hall the led the stairs, Shurachi frowned in a very disappointed manner at the Uchiha heir. "Do you usually ignore all the training I gave you Sasuke-kun?" The brunet squirmed a little under the hurt gaze and shook his head. "Then why would you do something like this? What could it have possibly helped to dump Naruto's ramen on him?"

Fidgeting with a loose thread on his arm warmers, Sasuke refused to meet Shurachi's eyes as he answered. "Nothing." He mumbled and Shurachi rubbed the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

"Sit in the living room Sasuke-kun. I have to get Naruto some clean clothes. Sabishíi will keep you company." Sasuke wandered into the living, the large black dog following him, and Shurachi went up the stairs.

He knocked lightly on the bathroom door and pushed it open when he got a vague sound that could have been permission to enter. His heart constricted at the sight that met him and the anger he'd felt simmered away.

Large, salty tears were rolling down Naruto's face as he sat on the closed toilet. His blue eyes were staring down at the floor, blurred by the saline drops. A pathetic sniffle pulled Shurachi into the bathroom and a quiet, hitching sob closed the door.

The Inuzuka knelt before the jinchuriki and carefully enfolded him in his arms, not caring when ramen broth soaked into his front and wet tears stained the shoulder of his nice yukata. He petted unruly blond locks in a comforting manner and shushed him soothingly.

"Calm down Naruto, I'm not angry with you. A little hurt that you would do something like this and definitely unhappy about your language, but I'm not angry. It's alright, your fine my pup. Shhh." He rocked a little and smiled when orange clad arms moved to wrap around him.

After a little while the hitching sobs turned into muffled sniffles and the tears slowed. "There now, just breath." Shurachi pulled away enough that he could see the tear and snot stained face. "I want you to take these-" here he tugged at the stained jacket, "off and get in the shower. Clean yourself up some and I'll get you something clean to wear. When you're done come down to the living room, okay?"

Naruto sniffled and nodded. Shurachi stood up and moved to open the door. "I'm really sorry….Shurachi-tousama." Warmth flooded through Shurachi at his whispered name. Naruto had never referred to him as father before.

"It's alright pup, take a quick shower and we'll get this sorted out." The bathroom door was closed and Shurachi heard the shower turn on as he pulled a pair of pajamas out of Kiba's dresser. He exchanged them for Naruto's dirty clothes with all the stealth of a high level shinobi and then changed his own yukata. He put the dirty clothes in his hamper and went back down the stairs.

Hajime was telling an embarrassing story about his son when Shurachi entered the kitchen again. He sat back down and smiled serenely at his guests when they turned to look at him. "I hope you're still enjoying your meals." They all agreed rather loudly, the jyônin afraid of what Shurachi was hiding under that serene smile and the genin wondering what had happened to Naruto and Sasuke.

They didn't question him about his change of clothes or anything else though and instead finished the last of their desert. Apparently Haku had gotten it out sometime while Shurachi was upstairs. The rest of the dinner was fairly subdued and Shurachi escorted all of his guests to the door with an invitation to visit him again whenever they liked.

It was obvious that Sakura was worried for her teammates, but Kiba and Shino were able to calm whatever fears she'd had. Hinata also looked worried, and even managed to come out of her shell long enough to ask Shurachi to not be to hard on them. He reassured her that he wasn't even mad anymore and told her that she was welcome to come by anytime she liked.

Then the house was empty save his pups and Hajime.

"I told you the brat was trouble." Hajime murmured quietly once Kiba and Shino had gone up to Kiba's room. Shurachi frowned warningly at him and moved to the kitchen to help Haku put away leftovers and dishes. "I'm serious Shura-chan, he's only causing you problems."

Pale lips pursed and Haku touched Shurachi's shoulder in a calming gesture. "Hajime-san, perhaps you should take Shino home now. It's getting late and the boys have training in the morning with Kurenai-san." Haku said quietly, letting Shurachi take over the cleaning of the dishes for him.

Red eyes narrowed behind their sunglasses, but the Aburame nodded. "Perhaps you're right Haku-san. I'll see you later Shura-chan." Shino entered the room as if on cue and followed his father out with a quiet goodbye to Shurachi and Haku.

Green eyes closed and a frustrated sound escaped the Inuzuka clan alpha. Haku, seemingly understanding what his lover needed, slipped in front of him and placed a soft kiss on his chapped lips. "Calm down Shurachi, he's only worried. If I hadn't gotten to know Naruto before I…found out about his tenant I would be too."

Thin arms slid around Shurachi lithe form and squeezed gently. "I know, I just wish he hadn't brought it up when he did." The green eyes opened and stared down into Haku's worried brown. "Do you mind going up to make sure Kiba's alright?" Haku smiled and shook his head.

Kissing one last time, the pair parted and Shurachi dried his hands on a towel. He still had a pair of genin to talk to in his living room.

When he walked in, it was to a rather amusing scene. Naruto was sitting on one end of the room staring morosely at the carpet; Sasuke was on the other end of the room stealing little glances at Naruto and frowning unhappily out the window. Both of them looked up when Shurachi walked in however.

"I hope you both know why I've made you sit in here rather than rejoining the table." They nodded and Shurachi sat down in a chair in front of the couch. He motioned for them to sit in front of him and waited until they'd settled before speaking again.

"I am incredibly disappointed in the both of you. I expected you both to act with a little more respect for myself and those dining in my home. I have half a mind to recommend that your team be taken out of the exams since neither of you seem mature enough to be chûnin." He held up his hand as Sasuke moved to protest. "I won't though. Now, explain to me why you thought you should dump ramen in Naruto's lap."

Sasuke frowned, but began to speak. "He was being annoying." He grumbled and Shurachi raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't even doing anything to you! All I did all night was talk to Sakura and Shurachi-tousama!" Naruto protested. He quieted at Shurachi's look and went back to meekly looking at the floor.

The Uchiha was scowling now. "You threw a bun at Kiba and asked Shino if he'd made the onigiri."

Shurachi crossed his arms. "So Naruto was ignoring you and you got annoyed by this?" Sasuke flushed and refused to answer. A sigh made him look at the Inuzuka. "I want you apologize to Naruto, Sasuke-kun." The apology was mumbled and came out in a round about way, but it was an apology. "Now I want you to apologize to Sasuke-kun for cussing at him Naruto." The blond did so grudgingly.

"Alright. I'm still not happy with either of you, but it isn't fair that you didn't get to finish dinner. I'll bring in some of the desert and then it's time for Sasuke to go home and for Naruto to go to bed. I don't want anything like this to ever happen again, do you here me? If it does then you'll be getting more than a scolding. I shouldn't even let you have any of the chocolate ice cream pudding pie I made."

Both genin nodded and ate their pie in silence. Once they were done both Naruto and Shurachi saw Sasuke out the door and Shura had Sabishíi escort him home. Once the door was closed, Shurachi turned to Naruto. "I'm very disappointed Naruto. I know I taught you better than to react that way."

Tears were starting to gather in Naruto's eyes again, so Shurachi quickly scooped him into his arms and carried him back into the living room. He settled the blond on his lap and sighed quietly. "I understand that what he did was uncalled for and probably very shocking, but you're a shinobi. You shouldn't react so violently to something so childish."

He hugged the genin to his chest to sighed again. "I love you, you're one of my pups and I could never be angry at you. You don't have to cry." Naruto sniffled and cuddled closer.

"S-so it's okay for m-me to call you tousama?" Naruto asked in a meek voice. Shurachi smiled brilliantly down at the boy.

"I would love it if you called me tousama, pup. I think it's time for bed now though, you've certainly had a tiring few days." Naruto nodded and let Shurachi carry him upstairs to Kiba's bedroom. The extra futon was already laid out and Haku was helping to spread a blanket over it.

The two looked up when Kiba's door opened and Haku smiled at his lover while Kiba grinned. "I thought he'd be staying! Hey, he's wearing my pajamas!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at the Inuzuka and Shurachi let him wiggle out of his arms.

"You're just jealous because they're better looking on me!" The blue pajamas were rather large on Naruto.

The pair of older shinobi left the two genin to argue and made their way to Shurachi's bedroom. As soon as the door was closed Haku pressed back against Shurachi's chest. The Aburame automatically brought his hands to the ice shinobi's hips.

"Let me help you relax Shura-koi." Haku murmured huskily and Shurachi growled low in his chest.

It took little effort to slide Shurachi's yukata and pants off then push down his underwear. It was even easier for Shurachi to slip Haku's own yukata off. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Haku hadn't worn anything under his own pair of pants.

"Were you planning this all along little Haku?" Shurachi murmured, his hands dragging slowly over the chill skin. Haku giggled lightly and slipped from his lovers grip.

He sauntered across the room and smirked kittenishly over his shoulder. "Planning? I wasn't planning, I'm simply finishing what was interrupted this morning."

00

Puppies of a Feather chapter 5 has this scene.

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(1) It's a piece of wood used to extend the length of a table.

Review and let me know what you think! The exams are up next!!

Taku


	37. Chapter 37

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** I wish so bad, but then I sleep and it's all better.

**Note:** Hi guys! A nice reviewer reminded me that I have an LJ that hasn't been updated in a looooooooooooong time, so if you were following this there.....uh....sorry? I'm going to update that this week though, so don't worry! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I know it happened before they found out but this suits me better.

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Shurachi grinned as Haku's quiet laughter filled the air. His lover was dressed in a pink kimono with his hair down, a basket of vegetables clasped in his hands. Shura, in stark contrast, had his hair up in it's usual braided tail with black hakama and an open dark blue haori. The only thing covering his chest was some crisp white bandages, meant to hide his kikai holes.

He had several heavy looking bags slung over his shoulder, obviously taking them so his lover wouldn't have to. Walking beside the pair, Sabishíi wagged his tail and barked out his happiness. It was a beautiful day, they could hear the village bustling beyond the high wooden fences, and they were done with the weeks shopping.

"He really did that? Dressed up like a member of a different clan every day?" Haku asked, a disbelieving smile on his face.

Nodding, Shurachi tilted his head to grin lopsidedly at Haku. "Yep. He'd even go so far as to borrow clothes from someone n the clan so he smelled like them. He was always trying to sneak up on us too!"

More laughter rang out. "That makes me almost glad I didn't become a shinobi the normal way. I don't know if I could have taken such an odd sensei!" Haku said, bumping his hips against Shurachi's. The older man swayed a little to the side and brought his free hand up to tug on a lock of long black hair.

A scream filled the air and both shinobi stopped walking to listen to it, tense with anticipation. "I recognize that scream." Shurachi murmured, then chuckled as another scream rang out, this one enraged. "Naruto has done something to piss off his kunoichi team mate again." The Inuzuka shook his head.

Haku shot him a slightly worried look. "We should go make sure he's okay Shurachi, Sakura-chan can hit pretty hard." He didn't wait for his lover to agree, going on ahead without him.

One blink, two; and Shurachi was hurrying after Haku, shouting for him to wait. He caught up as Haku was rounding a corner. His bandage wrapped arm shot out to grab the back of the smaller's kimono. "He's fine Haku, Sakura-chan won't kill him if she manages to catch him."

But Haku didn't answer him. In fact, the ice user had gone very tense. Shurachi looked up to find what was causing him such distress and frowned when he saw two vaguely familiar people. The largest, and obviously male, of the two was holding the Hokage's grandson up by the front of his shirt while Naruto, Sakura, and several other kids were trying to get him to put the child down.

Carefully letting the bags draped over his back swing around to his front, Shurachi set them down. "Haku, stay here. I'm going to be throwing the children to you if something happens, you can protect them more fully with your ice than I could with my kikai." Haku bit his bottom lip, but nodded in agreement.

Shurachi took a deliberately noisy step forward and carefully remained relaxed when everyone's attention turned to him. He put on a confused, slightly disapproving face before speaking. "Hey, what's going on here?"

"Shurachi-tousama!" Naruto squeaked in reply, looking very much like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have. "Me and Sakura-chan were playing with Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi-chan when we ran into these guys." He motioned toward the two unknown people.

Shurachi turned his eyes to them and noted, with a bit of relief, that they were from Suna. They were probably genin that had arrived early. "Your version of events please." Shurachi said, stopping in between Naruto's group and the sand genin.

The boy opened his mouth to answer, but the girl stepped on his foot. "This kid ran into Kankuro, we were just explaining to him that he should be more careful."

Green eyes gazed skeptically at the pair. "I'm sure he gets the message. Why don't you put Konohamaru-kun down so he can go play with his friends?"

It looked as though Kankuro was going to ignore his suggestion when a rock darted out of the trees and hit his hand dead on. Kankuro dropped Konohamaru, shaking his hand in pain. The Hokage's grandson scrambled to his feet and rushed passed Shurachi to Naruto.

None of the shinobi noticed though, as their eyes were all fixed on Sasuke. "You should listen to Inuzuka-sama." Sasuke said coolly, tossing another rock into the air and catching it. "He is one of our villages jyônin after all."

Kankuro curled his lip "Oh look, another brat."

"Kankuro!" The pair of genin from sand jerk to attention, an expression of fear taking over their features.

"G-Gaara! I was just…"

"You were just disgracing our village." The red head said, dropping from his tree branch to the ground smoothly. He made his way slowly to the pair of genin, taking his place between them. "Shurachi-nii, I'm sorry for anything Kankuro might have done."

Shurachi blinked, then a wide smile bloomed over his face. "Gaara-kun! You're going into the exams as well?" The red head nodded and Shurachi grinned a little mischievously. "Well then, how about I get a proper greeting?" He moved forward to fast for any of them to see and enfolded Gaara in his arms.

The genin on either side of him seemed to be having heart attacks, but the sand merely rustled uneasily. "You're looking much better than last time I saw you. Have you been taking care of yourself?" Gaara nodded again, a faint pink color dusted over his cheeks. "Who are your friends Gaara-kun?"

Shurachi stepped back so he could see the other two genin from sand. "These are my…siblings, Kankuro and Temari. We're entering the exam as a team." He motioned to each person as he said their names then crossed his arms. Murky green eyes scanned the people behind Shurachi, taking in their curious, if wary, faces.

"It's nice to meet Gaara-kun's siblings." Shurachi said with a small, warm smile. "This is my pup, Naruto, and his team mate Sakura-chan. His other team mate, Sasuke, is the one who threw the rock." He motioned toward the tree that Sasuke was still watching them from. "Why don't you come have dinner with us tonight Gaara-kun?"

The red head didn't even bother checking with his siblings, he simply nodded his agreement. "We have to go check in with our sensei Inuzuka-san, can we meet you by the gates so you can show us to your home?" Temari asked politely, taking a step forward. Gaara frowned at her, but didn't protest so Shurachi nodded.

The trio from sand left. "I'll you later Naruto, be good." He pecked the boy on the forehead and moved to pick his sacks up before Haku could.

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Kankuro made a strangled noise as they entered their hotel room for the final time that night. "Did we just have dinner with one of Konohagakure's infamous clan leaders?" He asked in a dazed sort of voice. His sister nodded, searching through her bag for pajamas. "Was his partner really a guy?" Another nod.

"And did Gaara really call him…nii-san?" This time Temari pause din her search and looked up with a slightly pained expression. Kankuro shook his head, ignoring the slight pain he felt himself. "That guy though, do you really think that he meant what he said? About us being his family because we were Gaara's family?" Temari shrugged and left the room to change.

Kankuro looked at the empty bed that his brother would usually occupy, if only to meditate. Gaara had chosen to stay at Inuzuka house for a while longer than his two siblings had. "It would be nice…." Kankuro whispered, finally slipping into his own pajamas and starting to remove the thick paint on his face. "It would be nice if he still felt that way after our mission." He sighed and slipped under his covers, putting our the lights in the room.

Temari would later stumble in with suspiciously bright eyes and raw red cheeks, grateful that her brother was already asleep.

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Review please? I know it isn't very long, but I couldn't really end it anywhere else without confusing myself. I also didn't want to write out another dinner scene since I'm sure you guys would get bored of that.

Taku


	38. Chapter 38

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** I wish, so very bad.

**Note:** Alrighty. I've been issued a challenge and I was wondering if you guys think I should take it up. Of course, it won't be posted for a long while, possibly not until I finish this story, but still. I'll put details and such at the end of this, as well as the challenge. Please check it out! Also, I have new poll up on my author page, check it out!

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Shurachi grunted as Sabishíi launched himself off the humans shoulders, lethal jaws clamping down on the face of a shadow clone. It burst into smoke and the large dog darted away to avoid a rain of kunai and shuriken.

"Sabishíi, watch left!" Quick seals let Shurachi blow a continuous flame, destroying the exploding tags on another rain of weapons while his partner jumped out of the way once again.

"Sabishíi, come!" The dog darted towards it's human counterpart and steadied itself as it recognized the hand seals being flown through rapidly. "Juujin Bunshin! (Man-Beast Clone)" There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared away an exact replica of Shurachi stood in place of the dog.

Both Inuzuka began forming seals, moving so they were back to back, and released a wave of chakra that had poofs of smoke drifting out of the forest. When Shurachi felt the last of his clones dissipate, he relaxed and canceled the henge on Sabishíi. The pair advanced carefully, senses alert for any traps that may be hidden in the forest training ground.

Green eyes caught the glint of light on the wire to late and a flood of water knocked Sabishíi to the ground, turning the dirt around him to mud. Then the water began to freeze over and Shurachi cursed.

Haku stepped out of an ice mirror, an Inuzuka mask covering the lower half of his face. "Pay more attention." He murmured, his eyes scrunching in a way that showed he was smirking. Slowly, almost as if he were mocking his lover, the ice user grabbed the back of the dogs neck and held a kunai to it.

"You pay more attention. Bakuretsu Koninu! (exploding puppy)" Sabishíi bared his fangs and exploded, expelling kunai in all directions. Haku barely had enough time to jump back into his mirror, and even then the ice shattered after the 10th kunai hit.

It was a relatively easy run for the rest of the way and the pair burst into their back yard with happy grins and excited barks. Kunimitsu, Mikaro, Yagumi, and Saichi all sent up a howl and were quickly joined by the dogs and Shurachi. Haku stood a little to the side, smiling at the enthusiasm of his lovers clan.

When it had quieted again, he moved forward to first hug Sabishíi, then wrap his arms around Shurachi. "Congratulations Shura-kun, now you can take proper missions again." They shared a warm kiss, causing the other clan members to smile. It had been a long time since they'd seen their alpha so happy.

Green eyes sparkled as he took in his family. All of his pups were going through the second test in the chûnin exams, so Kunimitsu had organized Sabishíi's final test to keep him from going crazy with worry. He'd only been able to do family jutsu to work wit his new dog to make sure they could work together well enough to survive.

The howl had signified their passing and now he could officially register Sabishíi as a nin dog of Konoha. "Come, the second round should be finished by now." Shurachi said, leading Haku back into the house, followed closely by the other clan members. "I've been invited as a clan head to watch the preliminary matches."

Haku nodded and pushed up on his toes for another quick kiss. "Tell your pups that I wish them luck. Hokage-sama has approved my taking missions so I'm going to see if there are any at the mission desk." One more peck to the taller shinobi's lips and the ice user was slipping out the front door. Shurachi watched him go, not acknowledging the exit of his clan members through various windows.

He patted Sabishíi's head when the dog whined in confusion and started toward the small indoor arena. "I wish he would accept my invitation into the clan Sabishíi. He's so worried that I'll loose standing if he becomes my official partner…" Shurachi sighed and absently ran his hand through Sabishíi's fur, glad that the dog was large enough for him to pet while standing.

They entered the building quietly as the first fighting pair were being chosen. He watched the match with a slightly interested eye, noting that the genin this year were rather strong. Then Shino's name was called and he tensed up. It was difficult to watch his pup fighting, especially as it looked like he might lose. He would have been even more worried if he hadn't noticed the bugs slinking into the sound brats arms though.

When Shino won, Shurachi slapped Hajime's back. The pair grinned widely at each other and watched the next few matches. Anxiety didn't come again as Naruto and Kiba's names were called. He didn't have to worry about the pair killing each other, though he'd better make plans to feed whoever lost their favorite desert. He'd also have to make sure there was any animosity between them after this. He didn't think there would be, but it never hurt to be careful.

Shurachi winced as the pair beat each other up, fretted when it seemed one or the other would lose, and barely calmed down when Hajime tugged teasingly on his hair. "You've trained both of them well Shura-chan. I may not like Uzumaki, but that doesn't mean I won't acknowledge that he's ready for this. Don't worry."

The Inuzuka nodded, then choked as saw Naruto's finishing move. He winced in sympathy at the sight of Kiba's eyes watering and dug in his pocket to find the cloth he usually wore while in the wizarding world. It had been resoaked in fragrant herbs to help filter bad scents out of their sensitive noses quicker.

When the pair were off the arena floor, Shurachi made his way over to them. "Here pup, breath deeply." He handed the cloth to Kiba and ran a hand through the boy's hair as he took in the relaxing scent. "I'm proud of how well you fought today. You brought honor to our clan and proved to me that you know how to work with your partner well enough to have unlimited access to the family library of jutsu scrolls. I expect you to win next time."

Kiba beamed up at his brother and nodded. The pair watched Sabishíi nuzzle Akamaru and huff. The puppy returned the affection and barked once then limped to Kiba, he just wanted to nap in his pocket now that they were done.

"I'm going to go and see Naruto, then Shino. We'll have a celebration lunch out tomorrow." Kiba nodded and held out the cloth he'd been using. Shurachi grinned widely at him and ruffled his hair. "No, you keep it. Now that you know how…powerful an attack on our noses can be I'm sure you'll use it wisely."

"Kaasan!" Kiba cried, looking a little ill at the reminder of how he was beaten. "Naruto got a lucky shot is all, I'll definitely beat him next time! Geeze!" Shurachi laughed and ruffled his hair one more time.

When he got to Naruto the blond didn't hesitate to throw his arms around him in a hug. "Did you see that Shurachi-tousama? I beat Kiba!"

Green eyes rolled and Shurachi hugged the child back. "Yes, you beat him using a very unique method. Good job Naruto. What are you going to do now that you are competing in the final part of the exam? Are you going to keep training under Kakashi?"

Naruto frowned, obviously uncertain. "I'm not sure. He might want to train Sasuke since they both have the sharingan." Shurachi nodded in acceptance and took a step back to look his blond pup over. The Kyuubi was already healing the small scrapes and bruises he'd obtained. He wasn't even bleeding anywhere anymore.

"We'll be having lunch out tomorrow to celebrate you and Shino going on. Make sure you get enough rest tonight." Then he focused his attention on Sakura. "Good job on your match Sakura-chan." She smiled uncertainly at him and he smiled in return. "Your hair looks very nice as well, I think short hair suits you better than the long hair did." Pink dusted hr cheeks and Shurachi turned to speak with Shino, releasing Naruto to watch the match between the two Hyuuga.

"I'm proud of the way you handled your match Shino. It was very smart of you to block the air passageways in his arms with your kikai. You and your father should come out with us tomorrow to eat lunch. I plan to leave tonight for your clan to celebrate with you." Shino merely nodded, worried eyes watching as Hinata clashed with her cousin.

Gaara's match was spent in a similar state as Shino's had been and then they were separating to go home. He waved Naruto off to his own apartment and settled an arm on Kiba's shoulders to walk home with him. "Anything in particular you want tonight Kiba-pup? Haku's gone to get a mission and Hana can't come over to look at Akamaru until tomorrow, so it's probably going to be just me and you tonight."

The boy lit up at the prospect of spending the rest of the day with his mother. "Do you think you could make something with strawberries? I know they're out of season, but it's been a while since you made any desserts with strawberries in them!"

Shurachi grinned and nodded. "I think I can do that, so long as you promise to eat some of it." Kiba nodded enthusiastically and quickly pecked Shurachi on the cheek.

"I love you Kaasan!" He said happily.

"I love you too pup. Now get cleaned up, we'll have to go to the market to get strawberries." Kiba scrambled up the stairs to his room to do as he was told and Shurachi retrieved his money pouch. Tonight he would pamper his little brother, and tomorrow he would treat all of his family to lunch. After that he would have to decide to either stay for the rest of the exams, or go back to Hogwarts.

"Are you coming Kaasan?" The sound of his eager pup broke him out of his falling mood.

"Yes pup, I was just making sure we had everything I'm going to need for strawberry cake." Kiba cheered and raced out the door.

Yes, he would have to make that decision soon; but soon wasn't now, so he would enjoy his pups enthusiasm and his family's happiness.

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Here is the exact challenge!

I have a challenge for you, if your willing to take it, as I am no good at  
writing stories. Basically it should be a Kakashi/Harry, whether Harry is  
female or not does not matter. Harry should be transported believably to the  
Naruto unviverse, and end up training with Zabuza and Haku, and be an  
extremely quick study. Harry should also be around Kakashi's age. It is  
optional whether or not Harry has killed Voldemort and it is optional whether  
or not Harry is "forced" into blindness or can see perfectly, as long as it  
has a good explanation. Also, I would love for Harry to be extremely intuitive  
and maybe have a type of occulmency (sp?) or natural barrier(magic) to the  
sharingan. Also, extra points to you if you can make Kakashi and Harry not  
like each other at first (harry doesn't like how he treats his team or  
something) and then Harry has to meet kakashi and team 7 while they are on  
their "bridge builder" mission. Also, if Harry is blind, make him be able to  
"see" chakra/magic, so he/she can unerringly look straight at anyone around.

Also, I know I've read another sotry almost exactly like this, but I can't remember what it was called. If any of you can then please let me know! I don't want to copy someone else's work by accident as I've recently come accross a copy of my own story. I don't mind, as it's certainly interesting to read how people play with my ideas, but I would have liked to be told about the story so I could read it before.

Review!

Taku


	39. Chapter 39

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** All I have is a free mouse pad I got by being a randomly chosen user on my colleges chat board. Leave me alone! (goes to cry asomewhere)

**Note:** Hi guys! Holidays will make updates more sporadic than usual, as I'm sure you noticed. Shura will be heading back to Hoggys by next chapter, sorry. On the plus side, I will be updating my HPKH crossover fic as a christmas present before the year is out. I'm also taking opinions on whether or not you want Sasuke to leave the village. I've already decided what I'm going to do with him, but the way it happens will depend on whether you guys want him to leave or not.

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Shurachi grunted as he shoved another medic nin away from himself. He had some minor injuries, a broken collarbone among them, but his kikai had already started working on the surface wounds and the tears in their tunnels so there wasn't really anything that could be done.

He'd gone to see the Aburame's personal medic already, but his family hadn't been content to let the other clan take care of their alpha and had tried, numerous times, to catch him off guard enough for an examination. He'd rebuffed them every time since the attack almost two weeks ago.

"Kaasan…." Kiba whispered, feeling the worry he'd built up over the past two weeks starting to boil over. "Please at least let Oneechan check your vitals. I know she's a vet, but I'm really worried that something is wrong!"

Green eyes softened and Shurachi put aside the clan paperwork he'd been pouring over for the past four days. With Sasuke officially a ward of the Hokage, who was now dead, all of the clans that wished to take custody of him had to file the proper paperwork. The Heaven Seal had severely damaged his chakra systems and nearly killed him when he'd fought against it's pull.

Now he was to weak to resist if someone came for him and the villages resources were already over taxed to keep it on it's feet. A clan had to take responsibility for his safety. Shurachi simply hoped that his clan was chosen. At least he could be certain of the gaki's safety with his family; they certainly didn't want the sharingan bred into their line after all.

Turning in his chair, Shurachi held open his arms for Kiba to scramble onto his lap. The pup was getting rather large for this, being 14, but that didn't stop them. "I promise to let Hana-neechan check me up if it will make you fell better, but nothing is wrong with me. Hajime-nii's family doctor is perfectly capable of taking care of me. He even said my kikai are healthy as well."

Kiba nodded and curled up on his brothers lap, enjoying the simple comfort. Both of their canine companions were sprawled on a large dog pillow, snoozing in the corner; and if the pair strained, they could hear Haku bustling about upstairs, getting ready for bed.

The Inuzuka compound, unlike the Uchiha compound, had been relatively untouched. Only a small portion of their forest area had been damaged by the fight between Gaara and Naruto. They weren't a big target as they usually kept out of the limelight. It was easier to have clan secrets if no one wanted to really question you about them.

When the clock on the wall ticked midnight Shurachi made Kiba get off his lap and head up to bed. Akamaru, naturally, followed him and Shurachi turned back to his papers with a little sigh. There wasn't just the papers for Sasuke that he had to work on, there was also the redistribution of the clan resources. Each clan had agreed to divert a portion of their personal clan police force to active duty as Konoha shinobi.

On top of that was the civilian members who wanted to help the genin and academy students in the efforts to clean up the village.

Hands slid over his shoulders and a cheek pressed against the top of his head. He'd been to harried to put his hair up at all and it hung loosely around his body, sleek against the pale face. "You should sleep Shurachi, you'll be no help to anyone in the village soon if you don't rest."

Shurachi sighed and brought one of his hands up to hold Haku's, the other still holding up a paper for his perusal. "I know, but there is a lot of work to be done and not enough people to do it koibito."

Dark eyes closed as Haku snorted. "Yes, but you'll get more done if you take care of yourself. Let your uncle take care of some of that, not all of it has to be looked over by you right away." The soft voice deepened slightly and Haku's free hand slid further down to splay over Shurachi's chest. "Besides, the futon is cold with you gone. Come to bed with me."

A shiver shot up Shurachi's spine and the paper he was holding settled on the desk. "Well, I can't have you being cold can I?" The hand holding Haku's slid up the bare arm and Shurachi turned out of his chair to catch his lover up in his arms. "It's nearly two in the morning, do you have a mission tomorrow?" He murmured, already scenting Haku's neck.

The ice user shook his head and sighed when warm lips ghosted over his flesh. "No missions, no interviews, no check ups. My usual minders have to go out of the village so I can't do anything that might compromise Konoha." A hand slid down Haku's spine as Shurachi growled briefly in annoyance at the reminder of the village elders distrust.

"I'll just have to help the clan out by making our Alpha rest." Haku purred, taking slow steps back to lead his lover toward the door. Shurachi knew his goal, but followed along easily enough. Sabishíi looked up only briefly to see what was going on before settling his head on the huge pillow once again. As often as they mated, he was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't just stay in the office at night.

000

(sorry, you can see the whole thing when I finish posting it up. I'll put a link on profile for it by next chapter!)

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"You're right, I did need to rest." He murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the back of Haku's neck. The ice user stirred enough to turn in the strong arms holding him and return the kiss with his own bruised lips. His eyes were closed, his breathing just evening out. "Sleep my sweet ice flake, I promise not to leave until morning."

Haku mumbled agreement and settled into slumber. Shurachi stayed up to watch him for nearly an hour longer before succumbing to amorphous as well.

Sasuke looked up as his door opened yet again. His dark expression, default because of the obnoxious clan heads that had visited him, lightened slightly when he saw that his visitor was Inuzuka Shurachi. The older shinobi smirked knowingly at him and set a container that smelled delicious on his bedside table.

He didn't move to bow or any such thing, as the bandages covering more than half his body prevented much movement. "Inuzuka-san, please tell me I can leave soon." Sasuke pleaded, a pained look on his face. He hated being stuck in a hospital.

"Sorry Sasuke, but not quite yet. I've actually come to offer you Inuzuka guardianship. The council of elders has decided that it would be better if you had the protection of a clan while you were recovering." Sasuke's face darkened and Sabishíi moved to tug on his blankets. "Now, now Sasuke-kun, I don't mean it like the others do. You wouldn't have to even live near the Inuzuka compound or marry into the family."

"Essentially, one of my families jyônin would watch for intruders wherever you decide to live, you could ask for our aid officially, and the others would have to go through me to bother you." Sasuke looked away, a frown pulling his lips, and Shurachi stood up. "At least consider it Sasuke."

He walked out the door, waving over his shoulder. Black eyes gazed out at the bright blue sky on the other side of his window. Sasuke could feel his thoughts roiling uneasily, his mind unsure of what to trust. On one hand he had ideas that he knew had to have come from the seal and on the other his own feelings on the matter. It was terribly hard to separate them.

Naruto's door swung open quietly, not wanting to wake the blond if he was sleeping. Blue eyes didn't turn away from the cloudless sky, though he did move to lean against the sill as the ache from his injured arm spiked briefly. Kyuubi had been drained fighting against Shukaku and Naruto's body wasn't used to channeling so much demonic chakra.

As a result, his broken arm had been slow to mend. At least now it was only a sprain. He would be good as new in a few days at any rate. "He was like me." Naruto whispered and Shurachi slowly settled on the bed to watch his adopted pup. "Gaara was just like me Tousama."

Green eyes ached briefly, something soft and painful clenching around him.

"I could have been just like him." Blue eyes closed and the fingers on his good hand clenched. "But I had Iruka-sensei, and Kiba-baka, and Shino-kun, and Shurachi-tousama; I had precious people who cared about me. I…" He trailed off, his voice choking up a little. Shurachi merely stayed where he was, sensing that Naruto didn't need him to sooth his hurts this time.

"Why didn't he have anyone Shurachi-tousama? Why did he have to be alone?" Naruto pleaded, finally turning to face the closest thing he had to a father.

Calm green eyes gazed at him as Shurachi thought about how to answer such an honest question. "People are very strange creatures Kit-chan. They can do things that don't make any sense, like ignore a little boy or pretend there isn't a problem staring them in the face."

Naruto frowned and moved to sit on the bed, leaning against Shurachi. "You haven't called me Kit-chan since I was little." He smiled a little bitterly "Though now I know what you mean by it."

A slim, but strong hand settled on the blond locks and Shurachi chuckled. "You'll always be my little Kit-chan Naruto-kun, no matter how big and strong you get."

"Gaara…he said that he knew you when he was a gaki." Naruto started hesitantly and Shurachi nodded.

"I had a mission to suna when Gaara was just a kid. His uncle left him behind while he was away on a mission and he ended up following me around for a while. I bought him juice and talked to him when the rest of his village ignored him; kind of like I bought you ramen. I couldn't stay though, I had all my pups to come home to after all." He ruffled Naruto's hair and chuckled when the genin swatted his hand away.

Once all of the sun kissed hair was back in it's proper mess, Naruto sighed. "I guess I just wish he'd had someone like I did, it must have been very lonely growing up without an Iruka-sensei or Shurachi-tousama to look after him and feed him ramen." Shurachi laughed quietly, the sound catching the interest of the person lurking outside the door.

Green eyes sparkling with mirth, Shurachi stood to activate the storage scroll he'd put Naruto's get well gift in. Once the smoke cleared a bowl of ramen was revealed. "Fresh from Ichiraku's, specially made with extra naruto. I have to do a patrol mission, but I'll come see you again soon Kit-chan."

Naruto pulled a face and waved, grinning as Shurachi pulled one back and left. The person listening at the door hurriedly scrambled away, not noticing the dog that had watched him the whole time.

Setting his chopsticks into the empty bowl, Naruto smiled up at the Hokage monument. "I think…I'm going to write Gaara a letter."

Outside, watched by two very different boys, the sky darkened and night fell over Konohagakure. The village was recovering, the shinobi were bouncing back, and the bath houses were lively with female shrieks of outrage. Shurachi couldn't have felt more content if he'd had a genjutsu placed on him.

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The challenge wasn't my own! I'm not doing it either as I was told the name of the story that was like that and gave it to the challenge issuer. For those of you interested though, I have a couple of my own challenges up on my author page, some of them have even been taken on! And you should vote at my poll!

Don't forget to tell me what you you want with Sasuke! And should Johnathan (the hogwarts student) become one of Shura-chan's pups? If he does then he'll be going to Konoha with him once the mission is done, or something very similar to that.

Review please!

Taku


	40. Chapter 40

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** No, they aren't mine damn it! Not even my Japanese language book is mine! -cries-

**Note:** Alrighty, this chapter made me gag a little while writing it. For those of you who were like "Why was he raped as a kid, it doesn't make sense?!" The answer is in this chapter; or rather, part of the answer is in this chap. Now we really start getting into the wizarding world portion of this story! Also, do you guys want a sequel? Whether or not you do will decide whether or not Harry dies in the end, just to let you know.

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"That is enough! It is the council's decision Inuzuka-san. The required time period for training your new partner has passed and you have no need to postpone your mission any longer." Green eyes burned up at the council of old men and women. He could see triumph, unease, and resignation in several faces, but none of it calmed his raging anger.

They wanted him to return to England, this time with only one other shinobi as the village was strained for shinobi. Never mind that his pups were recovering, it didn't matter that he had a lover who was still settling into the village. Even the Hokage's previous permission to remain as long as he liked was being ignored!

He executed a curt, almost insulting bow and turned on his heal to stalk darkly out of the room. Sabishíi sent the old men and women an absolutely vile look and trotted after his partner. After several seconds of hard stares from Kunimitsu and Jiruo, who would share the duties of clan head while Shurachi was away, they to left the room.

Shurachi was already half way home, anger warning away any shinobi who might want to talk while he dashed across the roof tops. Even Haku and Kiba stayed out of his way while he stalked around the house, gathering the things he'd be taking with him.

Once he had everything packed and set by the door, as per his orders to leave right away, he calmed down and took his lover into his arms. "I'm sorry I'm in such a bad mood." He murmured, pressing his lips apologetically against Haku's neck.

The smaller shinobi smiled and returned the kiss. "It's okay, I know you didn't want to go back until the village was at a better position.." Shurachi relaxed a little and moved back to look at Kiba, who was watching them with a slightly apprehensive smile.

"Come here pup." The genin jumped over the railing and took the few steps to be enfolded in his brother and brother-in-love's arms. "I've been ordered to return to my mission right away, so I'll be gone in about an hour. I expect you to be on your best behavior while the village is recovering. Keep a sharp eye out for suspicious characters and take care of Naruto and Shino."

Kiba nodded and buried his face against Shurachi's chest. He could feel the stiff material of a jyônin vest under the soft cotton of the yukata. It was a familiar, almost comforting thing to him. He'd often buried himself against the very same sensation as an academy student.

Standing in front of the door, the small family soaked in each others warmth for several long minutes before reluctantly separating. Kiba went up the stairs to get ready for his own mission and Haku cupped Shurachi's cheek. "I'll take care of your pups Shurachi, don't worry." The Inuzuka nodded and kissed Haku.

It was soft, regretful almost and Haku returned it with as much love and reassurance as he could muster. "Let me know when the next Hokage is chosen. I'll see if I can't find a way for you and the pups to visit me. The place I'm having to stay at is a school for children, so it shouldn't be to dangerous."

One more kiss was exchanged and Shurachi slipped out the door, Sabishíi on his heals.

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Shurachi covered his nose with the filtering cloth and then crouched down to activate the chakra field that would filter out preset smells from Sabishíi's nose. He hadn't managed to learn the technique before he'd come the first time, but it had been on his priority list when he got back. Unfortunately, it only worked on dogs.

Seeing as the term wouldn't begin for a while yet, there wasn't a train or even a professor waiting for him. Without anyone there to pick him up, he really had no way of getting to Hogwarts. Shrugging, he focused his chakra and sent it out as far as he could to check on the things he'd tagged.

The only one within distance was the one he'd placed on Jonathan. He was a little anxious about the pups safety, and it was his mission to protect the students, of which Jonathan was one. With a small shrug, Shurachi headed toward the barrier.

As he stepped into the busy station, he briefly wished that the personnel allotted for this mission hadn't been lowered to just himself. Yes, the village couldn't really spare any shinobi, but he disliked having to be here without someone else who could at least speak his language properly.

No one really noticed him and he guessed it was because of the chakra, or rather, magic field around the whole station that worked something like a genjutsu to discourage noticing things out of the ordinary. Once he was on the street he made sure to get on a rooftop and start moving toward his tag up high.

Just because he was likely to be ignored or avoided didn't mean he should broadcast his arrival to Britain. It took nearly three days for him to reach a quaint little suburb of identical houses. His tag was in number 10, so he moved to the only open window, in the upstairs bathroom apparently, and ordered Sabishíi to keep lookout on the roof.

The dog huffed, but laid down so as not to be seen and let Shurachi slip inside.

The bathroom was disturbingly dirty, with cans that reeked of stale alcohol in the tub, suspicious stains on the walls, and mold growing slowly in all four corners of the ceiling. Shurachi could smell the rank scent even under his cloth and it was making his stomach churn.

The hall wasn't much better, though the stains were obviously from water here and glass bottles had joined the cans. His tag was further down though, so he slowly climbed down the creaky stairs, being careful to keep his steps as light and slow as possible. He was ready to stick himself to a wall if the rickety things gave out.

He wrinkled his nose when he caught a glimpse of a sagging, moldy sofa before entering a semi-clean kitchen and heading to a door which probably led to a basement. It had a deadbolt lock on it, though it looked like something had been chipping away at the screws as the lock fell off when he applied a little pressure to it.

A loud creaking sound cackled in the stagnant air as the door swung open. Shurachi choked, his senses desperately pulling chakra away from the Inuzuka's sensitive nose and directing it to his eyes to try and stop the blurring. The scent was horrendous! Human feces, blood, vomit, sex, and a multitude of others he didn't want to identify rushed into his abused olfactory senses.

Dread pooled in his stomach. Surely the pup wasn't down there, he couldn't be! No one would be able to live healthily in a place that smelled like that and Jonathan had been hearty as any other wizard child! Reluctantly, Shurachi inched his way down the small flight of concrete steps.

Breathing through his mouth helped a little, but it left a foul taste on his tongue. He also had to very carefully avoid looking to closely at any of the moist looking piles along a wall. He didn't want to confirm his suspicions about what those piles were.

When he hit the bottom, his eyes strained to look into the darkness. The slit pupils that had come when he'd undergone the family jutsu widened to look almost round and the amount of light from the open door was enough for him to see the clear form of a lump of rags.

It shivered; moaned quietly. The dread shot from his stomach into his throat and gripped the heart that had climbed there.

Suddenly motivated steps took him to the lump and he scooped it up with a grimace. The cloth was crusty, coated in something he didn't want to contemplate.

"Pr-professor?" His bundle groaned, a bloodshot eyes blinking out at him from the disgusting cloth. Shurachi nodded once sharply. He didn't think he would be able to stand it if he took the breath to speak right now.

Chakra was pushed to his legs so he could make it to the bathroom as quickly as possible and he sat his bundle down on the floor to clean out the tub and fill it with warm water from his wand. He didn't trust the water in this place to be clean.

Jonathan whimpered when Shurachi began to carefully remove the layers of shredded robes and school uniform. He had several open sores, blood smeared over various parts of his body, and waste clung to his hair and skin. Shurachi didn't want to think about the mixture of substances between the boys legs.

Softly, ever so softly, he picked the boy up again and laid him in the shallow water. It became brown almost immediately and he swished his wand to clear it away then refill the tub. This process was repeated until the water no longer changed color upon contact with Jonathan's skin.

That was when he used a more-clean-than-dirty rag to begin rubbing the rest of it off. In the end he had to empty the water three more times before Jonathan was clean. He used a charm to dry the boy, not wanting to irritate the sores or skin any more than he had to.

"Can you stand pup?" He finally asked, breaking the painful silence between them. Jonathan whimpered and shook his head 'no'. Shurachi merely nodded, to show he understood.

Using a storage scroll, he summoned the medical paraphernalia he would need and began dressing the young wizard. Almost two hours after he'd gone in, Shurachi slipped out again with Jonathan wrapped in his cloak sound asleep.

"No one came by?" He whispered; Sabishíi shook his head once, then snorted. Shurachi smiled at the dogs rather unique answer and crouched so he could safely pat Sabishíi on the head. "We need to find a safe place to sleep, can you track this kind of chakra Sabishíi?" He flittered his magic under the dog's nose, watching him inhale the flavor of it before the beast stood with a wide, doggy grin and jumped from the roof.

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So, what did you think? I know it was super late, but I had more going on during the holidays than I thought I would. A suprise trip to visit my sister, instigated by my brother, was one of them and I didn't have internet or a computer for nearly two weeks. Review please!

Taku


	41. Chapter 41

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** No, it isn't mine. In fact, I'm going to begin crying if you insist on making me stab my dreams in the eye.

**Note:** So it's kind of short, but I had to rework this chapter a million times. I finally just decided on this. And for those of you who complained about there not being enough Harry potter, this is where it all starts. We're getting more into the wizarding world now that he's not confined in Hogwarts. Fear what I have planned! Also, I'll give a cookie to whoever guesses who did that to Jonathan!

**Super Extra Special Note:** Sabishii Kage Tenshi has won a Yu Yu HakushoxHarry Potter crossover oneshot for being such an awesome and dedicated reviewer. I'm working on writing it right now, so look forward to that!

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Shurachi sighed as he watched Jonathan sleep fitfully on the spongy bed of some seedy tavern in a place called Knockturn Alley. He wasn't sure his medical expertise, which really wasn't very expert-like at all, would be enough for the pup. He also wasn't to sure about the healers in this place, they didn't seem to trust their patients to know what was good for them.

Then again, most civilian patients really _didn__'__t_ know what was good for them. Shinobi had to learn what was and wasn't before becoming chûnin, if they chose to ignore that afterward then it was on their own heads. Perhaps he would make a quick trip back to Konoha to see if he could steal a medic nin, or even if his sister would know what to do.

Another whimper drew his eyes from the dreary moon outside his grimy window. Jonathan was curled in a little ball, silently sobbing to himself. Sabishíi was laying next to him, whining in sympathy and giving little licks to the boy's twitching hands.

Who could have possibly done this? There wasn't really any reason for someone to treat a child like that. What if they had other children as well? What if Jonathan wasn't the only one that had been kept like that? He hadn't really thought to look for others when he'd been there after all.

Expression hardening, Shurachi stopped himself from returning to the property to check. Then a though occurred to him that was sufficiently distracting to keep him from rushing off. He hadn't been speaking in English when he'd retrieved the pup, but Jonathan had answered him as if he understood.

It was tempting to wake him and ask about the strange occurrence, but he knew people injured as badly as Jonathan needed sleep, so he left the pup alone.

"Sabishíi." The dog lifted his head off of his paws and perked his ears forward with a slightly bloodthirsty glint in his eyes. "Stay here and watch over him. I'm going to see if I can find out more about this places medicines. I want to check that house again later, but if there are any others I want to be sure we're prepared to take care of them until a proper healer can be contacted." Sabishíi gave a sharp nod rather than his usual bark, also wanting Jonathan to sleep as long as possible.

Shurachi tugged up his Inuzuka face mask and donned the large cloak he'd been given in place of the anbu mask operatives usually wore when on missions outside the elemental countries. That practice had been discontinued by the council until a new Hokage could be found. They didn't want ordinary jyônin pretending to be anbu. He thought the council was just enjoying it's power trip while it could. He wouldn't be surprised if they tried to sabotage getting a new Hokage.

Slipping into the alley, he ignored the various eyes that immediately fell upon him and instead began making his way toward the book store. At least, he ignored them until one of the watchers grabbed his shoulder. He could feel the strength and power behind that grip and knew it was used to causing damage.

Faster than most people expected, Shurachi grabbed the hand and jerked the person forward onto his kunai. The man gasped, revealing sharp fangs, and coughed up foul smelling blood. "What-?!" He gasped, wide red eyes staring at Shurachi in shock. "You, you're human!" It hacked, splattering the foul blood over Shurachi's face.

He wrinkled his nose and ripped the kunai sideways out of the creatures body. "Yes, though you're what I've been told is a vampire." He said, his speech drawling as he made sure to speak in English.

The creature grimaced, holding it's body together carefully. "Leave myself and any who smell like me be, or it won't be your torso I rip through." The vampire paled, if that was even possible, and stumbled away from him. He didn't feel the eyes on him any longer.

"Inuzuka-san." Shurachi tensed, his arm quickly falling from it's position on the top book shelf and grip a kunai at his waist. Green eyes focused on a submissive looking Remus and the stance relaxed a little. He knew he could take this wizard, there was no need to be on such a tight guard.

The werewolf took a tentative step forward, making sure nothing in his posture was threatening or even overly defiant. "I didn't know you were back." He finally murmured, golden eyes curious but wary. Shurachi eyed him, obviously trying to decide something, before putting his kunai away and pulling the book he'd been reaching for off the shelf.

Green eyes turned steely as they locked on the werewolf again. "You will come with me, you will remain quiet, and you will do as I say." He finally ordered and Remus found himself agreeing before he really processed what had been said. He was confused, but hopeful. Shurachi had never acted so harsh before, as far as he knew, but if he were truly angry then he would have ordered Remus away by now.

Perhaps there was a chance that he was going to be forgiven for having stolen the sedatives? He meekly followed Shurachi out of the store, not commenting on the book that had just been stolen. He was mildly surprised some dark curse hadn't activated from the theft.

They walked in silence with a wide berth from the alley's usual night time patrons to a seedy looking inn. Remus frowned a little as he recognized the bar tender to be a more vicious werewolf. The man didn't purposefully put himself near people when he transformed, but he also didn't take any precautions against people finding him and didn't regret when he attacked them.

As they entered a room upstairs, Remus felt both magic and chakra press down around him. No one was going to get into this room without the owners permission. He glanced around, trying to see why such heavy protections were being used, and frowned when he saw the little boy on the bed.

"This is Jonathan. You will heal him Lupin, or I will make sure you never have a peaceful transformation again." Remus gulped, fright beginning to creep in past his excitement. He realized why Shurachi was being so sharp, a pup was injured. Even the civilians had heard the horror stories about Inuzuka mothers.

So, instead of trying to flee like any sane person would, Remus instead moved to the bed and cracked open the book. He knew most of the spells in it, so he used it as a reference to make sure he remembered correctly before beginning to apply the healing charms he could. Being a werewolf, he was more used to applying them to himself, so the adjustment of power from adult to child was a little odd.

He managed it though, and by the time the sun was rising the pinched look of pain had eased to a general look of discomfort. Remus slumped a little, letting his wand roll out of his hand to rest on the bed as he panted for breath. The amount of magic he'd had to use in order to heal everything was almost to much. He'd had to discreetly borrow some of the excess magic that was leaking from Shurachi.

The Inuzuka was no longer looking like he was going to kill the first person that moved wrong though, so he guessed he'd done a good job.

Shurachi relaxed in relief when Jonathan's sleep smoothed out and pushed himself away from the wall he'd been leaning against. He glanced at Sabishíi. He was sleeping under a table whose cloth mostly covered his bulk then turned his attention to Remus.

Green met with gold calmly, before softening. "You did a good job Lupin-san. Watch over Jonathan for me, I have to take care of something." Remus nodded tiredly, already curling up on the end of the bed. Shurachi glanced at Sabishíi again, smiling when the animal peaked its head out from under the table cloth. "Watch them Sabishíi. Let no one enter this room besides myself."

Again the dog nodded rather than bark and Shurachi swept out of the room, a dark scowl on his normally welcoming face.

The sun was rising and scaring away the more frightening creatures that lived in Knockturn Alley. He ignore the emerging hags and wizards in favor of quickly getting into Diagon Alley. He remembered one of the bar patrons saying that there was newspaper stand there and he needed to gather information on his enemy.

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Please review! Remember, your vote on a sequel (helps) determines whether Harry lives or dies at the end of this!!

Taku


	42. Chapter 42

**Rating:** M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** Right, still not mine. Damn it.

**Note:** So I meant to post yesterday, but I kind of fell asleep as soon as I got home....Also, I had some trouble with a stupid virus and my two oldest decided they didn't want to be friends with me anymore out of nowhere. It is kind of making my writing a little angry...and difficult. I hope this chapter was okay.

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**Funding****a****War**

_The Boy-Who-Lived's Generosity_

Early this month concerns were raised as to the state of taxes in our world. with the onset of war many families were concerned they would have to pay heavier taxes and forego sending their children to Hogwarts. This concern has been a subject of heated debate amongst the Wizangamot until one Albus Percevial Wulfric Brian Dumbledore came forward with a welcome announcement.

"_Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, has been found! He has been residing at Hogwarts for several months and has agreed to donate one of the Potter Family Vaults to the war effort! It is his hope that the money will be used to rid our world of Voldemort and his servants." _- A.P.W.

When asked, it was revealed that Mr. Potter was not taking questions or, indeed, even letting his face be known to the public for reasons of security. I think I speak for the entire wizarding world when I say thank you, Mr. Potter.

Special Reporter

Samuel Hoptin

Shurachi frowned at the paper and glanced around. There were many people frowning in the Alley as they read the same, short article he had. Obviously they didn't approve of what had been written, though he wasn't sure why. He knew that the civilians in Konoha would have been happy if their worries were taken care of so easily.

Handing the paper off to a passing man, Shurachi continued down the alley to the book shop. He'd learned early that knowing what could possibly be thrown at him first was one of the best ways to survive. A quick shadow clone technique gave him the opportunity to skim through multiple books at once and he took advantage of it.

Sabishíi shifted uneasily as the wizard in the bed stirred to life and groggily looked around. The sun was setting, bringing enough shadow to cover his form from view, but the dog still watched intently as the man climbed out of the bed and made his way to the door.

Before he could leave it was flung open and a harried looking Shurachi stormed in. He gnashed sharp teeth at Remus, silencing the werewolf before he could speak, and swept through the room. Once everything was gathered he scooped Jonathan up. "Bank, where?" The words were more a growl than actual speech, but Remus understood them all the same.

"I'll show you." Shurachi looked like he'd swallowed something unpleasant, but nodded his assent.

Then he barked sharply once, startling Remus into looking around. He recognized that sound as a come command, but he hadn't seen a dog in the room before. Golden eyes widened as an overly large black dog crawled out from under the table and returned the bark with a deep woof.

They were given a wide berth due to the menacing looking Sabishíi.

When they entered the bank a goblin quickly headed them off. "If sirs would follow me please." It said in a gravelly voice. Shurachi narrowed his eyes at it, already annoyed enough. He didn't think his patients could last with the level of irritation his chakra was in right now.

The goblin seemed to understand this, as he cleared his throat again. "The meeting you scheduled will be held in a special meeting room." It graveled and Shurachi relaxed a little. He understood wanting to have a conversation in a spy proof place. At least, he assumed it would be spy proof. He'd be checking it once they got there though.

A small room decorated much like a study was where they were led. It had a comfortable looking couch, which he settled Jonathan on. There was a desk with an odd stone chair on one side while ap air of regular chairs sat opposite. He took one of the chairs and motioned for Remus to take the other. Sabishíi positioned himself by Jonathan, an alert stance showing that he was ready to protect the child.

"Harry Potter, correct?" Remus jumped in surprise at the voice, but Shurachi merely gave a tight nod. A goblin climbed into the odd stone chair, revealing that he'd been hidden by the desk, and began to shuffle through some papers. "Good. I am Gravelnock. Am I correct in assuming you are here about the donation Albus Dumbledore set up? Going to finally stop him from taking your money?"

Shurachi growled quietly at the mention of the old man. "I am here to ask about my vaults, since I was never informed of them." He bit out and Remus whimpered a little. He was shocked at the wolf-like sound, but when Shurachi relaxed again and shifted his posture to be less angry he decided it was okay. The wolf was responding to an alpha's ire and the alpha was doing his best to reassure the wolf.

"We sent you several bank statements over the years, but all of them have come back unopened. When the latest one received a positive response we assumed you'd gotten it." The goblin frowned, though it was really just a lessening of the visible teeth. "Albus Dumbledore has been making transactions on your behalf since that letter."

Remus cleared his throat. "When did you send the letter?" He asked and Gravelnock glanced at him before turning his attention back to Shurachi.

"Last October."

Sabishíi's tail began to wag as Jonathan shifted on the couch. He could hear voices talking in quiet tones and his body didn't hurt nearly as much as he was used to. He couldn't smell the horrible scent of his newly made basement room. Where was he?

His father had brought some friends over and they'd….they'd made him hurt. Then he'd heard them talking about going out to a pub. After that he knew he'd simply stayed where they'd dropped him. Jonathan cracked open an eye, but quickly closed it at the bright light.

He vaguely recalled dreaming about his favorite teacher coming to save him and smiled. He didn't think it would happen, but he liked the dream anyway.

Something wet ran over his face and he scrunched up his nose. "Icky." He complained quietly and the voices stopped.

"Jonathan?"

The boy pealed an eye open at the familiar voice and gasped as the concerned face of Shurachi came into view. "It…wasn't a dream?" He murmured and blushed when Shurachi smiled widely at him.

"No Pup, it wasn't a dream. Are you feeling a little better?" Shurachi asked, sitting down on the couch beside Jonathan, careful not to touch him. He remembered how he had felt about being touched after his own rape.

Jonathan frowned as he focused on how his body felt. It was still sore and tired, but he didn't hurt as bad as he had before. So he nodded and moved to cuddle against Shurachi. His teacher seemed surprised for a second before he brought a hand down to pet him. "I'm okay. Where are we?" He asked looking around.

"You are in Gringotts wizarding bank." A gruff voice answered and Jonathan curled closer to Shurachi in fright. The hand petting him pressed reassuringly against his head then began to move again.

"Is our business done Gravelnock?" Shurachi asked calmly and the goblin nodded. "Good. I'd like to visit my trust vault then. We need to go shopping today."

In no time at all Shurachi was being led through the Diagon Alley by Remus to a clothing store. Jonathan was wrapped securely in his cloak, held tightly in his arms. They went through several shops getting things that Jonathan would need and ate lunch at the tavern he'd gotten a room in.

"Are you going to tell Dumbledore you're here?" Remus asked, staring into the murky depths of a grimy looking butter beer.

Shurachi stopped watching Jonathan pick at his food to look at Remus. His mask was back, blocking the scent of the pub, so the werewolf couldn't tell if he was being frowned at. "No. My mission is to protect the children at school. School is not in session so my mission technically is on hold until it is."

He shrugged a little and discretely tugged on the wire he'd set up around there booth. The man who had been trying to get closer to them cursed as his legs were cut up and limped away. Remus flinched at the cruel trap, but Jonathan didn't even seem to notice.

Uneasy quiet prevailed until Shurachi sighed and picked up his own fork. He speared some green beans and held them in front of Jonathan's mouth. The boy looked up at him in surprise, but opened his mouth and ate the vegetable.

"You aren't going to get better if you don't eat Pup, so eat." He said sternly and Jonathan meekly began to actually put his food in his mouth.

Remus cleared his throat and straightened up. "I've decided that when the war is over I want to stay in Konoha."

Piercing green eyes pinned him to his seat. "You want to stay in Konoha?" Shurachi repeated slowly; Remus nodded. "You will have to get permission from whoever becomes the new Hokage," he warned. "And you would be required to come to the Inuzuka compound for your moons."

Again, Remus nodded. "I know, but I don't really have a reason to stay here."

Silence ruled the table until Jonathan broke it with a quiet whisper. "I'm done Inuzuka-sensei."

Shurachi smiled down at the timid face. "Alright Jonathan. Follow Lupin-san up to our rooms, I have to do something first." He ruffled the boys hair, chuckling a little behind his mask when Jonathan leaned into the kind touch. "If you're good for him, I'm sure Lupin-san won't mind telling you about Konoha."

At just the mention of learning about Konoha, Jonathan's eyes lit up. He scurried out of the booth and grabbed Remus' hand to pull him out too. Shurachi disarmed the wire trap to let them pass. Only once they were safely tucked away did he stand with a dark glint in his eye.

Sabishíi also stood, a feral grin exposing sharp teeth as the large canine picked up on it's masters killing intent. They would be hunting.

Neither made it out of the alley before a blond man stepped into their path and stood there with an air of purpose. Shurachi stopped before him, discretely eyeing the man and deciding that he was likely a useless noble. He didn't write him off completely, but he did ready himself for arrogance and idiocy.

The man cleared his throat "You are Inosuka Shira Chi, correct?" Shurachi grimaced at the mangling of his name, but gave a sharp nod of agreement. He wasn't in the mood to dance around like a shinobi should.

"My master wishes to hire you. He has heard that you are a skilled fighter and will pay well for your services." The man continued. Shurachi snorted and moved to walk around the man.

He sputtered in shock, but Shurachi's thoughts were to murderous to really appreciate the expression. He hopped onto a roof before the man could protest, closely followed by Sabishíi.

Slipping into the house through the same window, Shurachi held his sleeve over the cloth mask that was already filtering the air. It was more putrid than before, and he could see that no one had been in to clean out the tub. That was the source of the smell in the bathroom.

Silent as shadows, Shurachi and Sabishíi made their way down the hall. They bypassed the stairs entirely, dropping silently to the ground floor instead. The sounds of a family eating could be heard from the direction of the kitchen.

A fat man, a stick thin woman, and a fit younger man were sitting at the table. The younger man looked distinctly uncomfortable, but the other two were eating with satisfaction. "Mum, can I please see Jonny? He didn't sound do good over the phone the other night."

Shurachi tensed, listening to see if they'd noticed the boy missing.

"We told you Dudders, he ran away. We haven't seen him since last night. All his things were gone!" The woman simpered, then reached over to cut the young man's meat up. "Here darling, try some of the steak. I soaked it in a new marinade!" She positively beamed at the man, who began to eat with a deep frown.

There was more words, but Shurachi wasn't listening. He was setting up traps instead, traps that would only be triggered when the chakra he was feeding into it was disturbed. He'd calculated the weight of the man and set the chakra to dissipate once that weight was on top of it.

For the woman, he set up a thin wire that only her odd height would reach. It was right in the doorway to their sitting room. He wouldn't have to worry about these two getting a hold of a child once the traps were set off.

Catching Sabishíi's eye, Shurachi gently touched his own nose. The dog didn't bother replying, instead it sniffed the air and began leading Shurachi to a cupboard under the stairs he ignored. Quietly, he unlocked three different locks and broke off a padlock.

What he found inside made his blood boil. A baby lay in a nest of old blankets, sleeping peacefully and looking thinner than a stick. "Good job, Sabishíi." Shurachi muttered, scooping the child up. "Anymore," he asked quietly?

The dog shook it's head and Shurachi nodded. "Alright. Lets get out of here. We need to finish this Lord Voldemort guy off and get my poor pups home." He growled. The pair snuck up the stairs, the baby cradled carefully against Shurachi's chest, and slipped into the night.

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VOTING OVER! You'll have to wait to see if there is a sequel or not though. ;D Plz Review!

Taku


	43. Chapter 43

**Rating:** M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** Don't talk to me.

**Note:** I am angry at the world right now, or rather, at the people who think spyware and viruses are funny. My computer has been infiltrated by a program called "Spyware Protector 2009". You would think this would be good, since it protects, right? WRONG! The damn thing makes it impossible to open any kind of Internet Explorer page, has three different pop-ups that occur every 30 seconds, and interupts the workings of everything I do! I have to back up my files on cd's, which I don't have the money to buy right now, and then wipe my computer to re-upload the whole thing!

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Shurachi looked over from the baby he held in his arms as Remus and Jonathan began to stir. The sun had long been up, but he hadn't wanted to disturb the rare moment of peace and calm he'd been shinobi-napping in. The baby shifted and made a plaintive noise, drawing soft green eyes back to it.

He bounced the child a little, humming lowly in his chest until it settled. Those same green eyes turned shadowed when Remus touched his shoulder, breathing out disbelievingly at the site of the young child. "Shurachi, a baby?"

"Yes, a baby. I went back to be sure there were no other pups in that house and Sabishíi found this one locked in a cupboard." His voice was soft, but it was obviously only for the baby's benefit. "Come here Jonathan." The Inuzuka called, drawing the sleepy boy to the couch.

Sleepy eyes peered at the child, no recognition in them at all. "Who is this 'Zuka-senseeeeeiiii?" The words ended in a yawn and Shurachi affectionately fluffed the boy's bangs.

"I have not heard her name, I hoped you would know it as she lived with you, but that doesn't seem to be the case." He sighed a little and looked at the ashes in the fireplace across from them. "Perhaps I will name her then."

Jonathan's face lit up and he slid onto the couch next to Shurachi. "Can I help?" He asked, hopeful eyes peering into the child's face. Shurachi quirked a small smile and nodded once.

"Yes, you can help. Can you think of any girl names," he asked, settling and arm around Jonathan and pulling him closer so that they were both huddled around the little girl.

Eyebrows drew together as Jonathan thought. "Ummm, Sarah? Beth, Susan, Jill?" He nibbled his lip as Shurachi made various faces at each name, holding in his laughter at the different expressions. "How about Tatsuki? Or Asuuke, Tsuki…?"

Green eyes regarded him with some amusement. "Jonathan, were you researching my language?"

The young wizard flushed and looked down at the little girl's to thin face. "Yes, I wanted to surprise you when you came back."

Shurachi chuckled quietly and squeezed Jonathan in a small hug. "I am very surprised." He agreed, a pleased smile stealing over his face. "And I'm very happy you would do that."

Like a lumos spell, Jonathan lit up at the praise.

"Akina." Both males on the couch turned surprised eyes on Remus, who scratched the back of his neck a little sheepishly. "Why not call her Akina? It seems like a good name for her."

Expression softening again, Shurachi nodded once. "Alright, she is now Inuzuka Akina."

A light flashed over the baby, startling all three men. It pulled away to form a parchment that Shurachi barely glimpsed before it vanished in a wisp of smoke. "What was that?!" Shurachi turned sharp eyes to Remus.

The werewolf turned wide eyes on him, a pained expression on his face. "They didn't name her," he said. "The people you got Akina from, they didn't give her a name when she was born. That was the Certificate of the Naming that all children in the wizarding world get when their parents name them at birth."

Golden eyes looked down at the little girl who was just beginning to stir. "She truly is an Inuzuka in the eyes of the wizarding law."

"Well, I suppose that's good seeing as I killed her parents. I won't have to worry about authorities trying to take her from me." Green eyes focused on Jonathan now. "You, however, are still young and certainly not mine legally. At least, not by your countries standards. Mine consider foundlings such as yourself part of their finder's family unless the family says otherwise.

Brown eyes lit up and Jonathan turned a shy smile on Shurachi. "Does that mean you consider me your son," he asked hopefully?

Shurachi quirked a small smile and nodded once. The warm feeling was interrupted by the sounds of an owl pecking at the glass. Remus moved to let it in and took the letter it was holding. The bird ruffled it's feathers self-importantly, hooted once, and flew off again. The werewolf looked down at the name on the letter, then handed it over to Jonathan.

"I suspect that would be your Hogwarts book list and letter. We should get the shopping for that done soon, but I'm not sure how we'll do that without drawing attention. Dumbledore will have people out watching the alley to make sure there isn't any attacks now that the letters have been sent out." Remus frowned worriedly, his eyes turning slightly more golden as he tried to find a way to avoid revealing Shurachi.

The shinobi snorted. "Have you forgotten what you learned in my village Lupin? Am I not a shinobi?" The dry tone of voice made Remus blush a little in embarrassment. He had forgotten that Shurachi was capable of disguising himself. "You have a way of hiding yourself, yes?"

At the confirming nod from the werewolf, Shurachi carefully handed Akina to Jonathan. He then flickered quickly through hand seals. When he was done there was a brief puff of smoke that obscured his figure. It dissipated quickly however, and revealed a mildly beautiful woman with an average figure. Her hair was a mousy brown, her eyes an equal shade to Jonathan's, and she wore a simple robe over muggle clothing.

She smirked at Jonathan's shocked face. "What's the matter son, don't recognize your own mother?" Jonathan squeaked, but cuddled up to the woman.

"Are you really Inuzuka-sensei," he asked shakily? Shurachi's smirked softened into a smile and she petted his hair back to place a warm kiss to his forehead. Jonathan decided that it was proof enough and buried his face in the henge'd man's side.

Remus blinked, shook his head, and waved his wand to make himself look vaguely similar to the woman. "I'll pose as your brother then. Do you want me to conjure a carrier for Akina?"

A small nod and bit of wand waving later found the family walking down Diagon Alley. Shurachi had a good hold on Jonathan's hand with baby Akina strapped to his chest. She was happily sleeping, making a small drool spot on his shirt.

The elation on Jonathan's face was enough to make the small annoyance ignorable though. He tugged on Shurachi's hand and pointed things out, happily calling him mom. It made Shurachi wonder who had taken the boy to the alley for his first year material. Obviously, it hadn't been one of his parents.

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Right, so I can't remember, or find, anything about Jonathan's eyes. If I gave him a different color please, PLEASE, let me know. Sorry for the short update and long wait. I haven't been in any mood to do anything but curse for a while though.

Taku


	44. Chapter 44

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** I plead silence, because I'm swimming in De Nile right now.

**Note:** No, my computer isn't fixed. I did find a way to disable the virus for a few weeks at a time though, so you all get an update! Hurray! I know it isn't the best, but it's all I could come up with. As I'm sure most of you have guessed, I suck at writing battles.

**Super Extra Special Note::** Someone else has taken up my first Challenge! Go check out Death's Pale Court, link on author page.

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Several weeks after Shurachi's first trip into Diagon Alley as a woman, Remus Lupin showed up at the Cackling Banshee again. He was panting and had obviously run from wherever he'd been before. Shurachi was talking with the vampire he'd nearly gutted after he'd retrieved Jonathan. Both of them looked wary of the other, but neither of them was trying to kill each other so Remus didn't linger over the odd pair.

"Shurachi!" He gasped, using the table to steady himself and catch his breath. "They're attacking the alley!"

Green eyes peered up at Remus and the werewolf could tell by their shape that Shurachi was frowning at him under his mask.

"A lot of the students come shopping for their school supplies this week, which means that Diagon Alley is unusually full. The Death Eaters have attacked it!" He elaborated when his breathing was more normal.

Shurachi stood, a hard glint in his eyes sending shivers down the spines of anyone who dared catch his gaze. "My apologies Sanguini-san, something has come up."

The vampire gave a small nod and watched the pair leave the tavern.

Remus pulled his wand as they got closer to the sounds of fighting. Shurachi remained enshrouded in his cloak, nearly visible waves of blood lust rippling from his dark form. These were the wizards that had killed his partner. He hadn't gotten the chance for revenge when Doku died, so now he would take his grief out on these Death Eaters.

"Incarcerous!"

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Lights of varying colors, ropes, and even the occasional person were flying chaotically around the wide street. Remus immediately insinuated himself into the fray, spells flying so fast from his wand that Shurachi was a little impressed.

The shinobi didn't do anything as senseless as fighting his way in though. Instead he jumped to a roof top and began throwing shuriken and senbon with deadly accuracy. His long braids rustled behind him, the metal he'd loaded into them chinking delicately with every twist and leap he performed to avoid being hit by a spell.

When he ran out of the two projectiles, he drew his tessen and began throwing small wind darts into the masks of Death Eaters. They weren't as accurate as he needed though, so when the easily picked out Death Eaters became to mixed with the people fighting against them he drew two kunai and jumped.

Two Death Eaters were downed as soon as he'd landed and a third followed soon after. Once he'd gotten his bearings down, the black cloaked men and women began to drop like flies. Their spells were designed for mid to long range battles, not close up fighting.

Braids whipping around with deadly speed, Shurachi grimaced when he realized that these wizards didn't wear protective armor. They were being cut up by the sharp senbon and specially designed kunai tucked away in his hair. This meant that he would have to clean blood out of it once the battle was over and he hated having to unravel his braids to clean blood out. It was always so sticky.

The kunai in his left hand burned and he dropped it with a hiss. Someone had cast a heating charm on the metal.

So, with a little curse, he drew his much ignored wand and pointed it at the dark wizard in front of him. "Stupefy." He spat, grimacing at the unsatisfactory result of unconsciousness. He wanted his opponents dead, but Remus had refused to teach him any killing magic.

Using his wand and the kunai, he quickly cut the number of attacking Death Eaters by half. The rest seemed to realize they were losing and began to flee down side alleys. Shurachi cast a general summoning charm for his weapons and directed them into their various pouches as he'd been taught, then slipped away himself. He didn't want someone to recognize him and send him to Hogwarts.

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"The attack in Diagon Alley took two of our members from us, but I have been informed that nearly 30 Death Eaters were left behind, dead, by their comrades. The investigation into how they died has come up with very little magic, but the injuries appear to be from well aimed cutting curses."

There was a subdued cheer that silenced Dumbledore. It died down however and the silence in the small cottage of Remus Lupin returned.

"I also have it on good authority that three Death Eaters were captured, one of which we are holding for questioning in a secure location." Another, smaller cheer, and the order was dismissed.

People dispersed, some going outside to apparate home while others gathered in groups to talk quietly amongst themselves.

"Professor Lupin?" A bushy haired woman said, touching the werewolf's arm to get his attention.

The haggard man turned to her with a curious, but welcoming smile. "I've told you before Miss Granger, call me Remus. I haven't been your Professor since you were thirteen."

She flushed a little and cleared her throat. "Remus then. I was wondering if you knew who that woman was? The one who killed all of the Death Eaters? I noticed that disappeared for a while and the next time I saw you she was throwing things at them from a roof top."

Clearing his own throat, the werewolf glanced around the room to make sure no one else had heard her. "Ah, Miss Granger…"

"Call me Hermione, Professor."

They smiled at each other as they both realized what they'd done and Remus motioned to his bedroom door. The muggle born witch followed him willingly enough, eager to find out who that woman had been.

"Well Hermione, first of all, that wasn't a woman. Shurachi simply takes advantage of the fact that he's built very slim and uses his appearance as a woman to get people to under estimate him. As for your question, I think it would be easier if you met him. Give me some time to make sure it's okay with him and I'll owl you a meeting place."

Hermione frowned, but nodded. "Alright Remus, but if I haven't gotten your owl in five days I'll ask if anyone else knows about this man."

The werewolf nodded. "I wouldn't expect anything less. I'm sure he won't mind talking with you, so thank you for keeping this quiet for now."

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For those of you wondering, Sabi-chan is watching the kids. Please review and tell me what you think!

Taku


	45. Chapter 45

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he IS a HE)

**Diclaimer:** Leave me be, I'm dying a n00b death via Brute Shot.

**Note:** So, here's this one and I'm very giddy for the next one. I already have it written and it's vital to the plot! It's also very shocking/plot twisty! GAH!

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Shurachi wiped a bit of baby food off his face and pushed the rubber covered spoon into Akina's mouth gently. He cooed a little at the baby as she smacked her gums and whined at him. She didn't like mashed peas half as much as she liked the pears. Hell, even the carrots were better than the peas.

Her new caretaker merely laughed at her and pushed another spoon full of the green goop into her mouth. She might not like it, but she was terribly hungry from not being fed very often. So she smacked her gums and swallowed it down rather than spit it on him again.

Finishing off the peas, Shurachi wiped her face and carried her over to the couch with him. Jonathan was doing his summer homework there, but he looked up to grin at them when Shurachi sat down. "How much more do you need to do?"

Jonathan looked over the pile of completed scrolls then perked up as he realized he was on the last one. "I'm almost finished with this one Sensei, then I'll be completely done!"

Nodding, Shurachi bounced Akina a little. She burble happily and grabbed hold of the one braid Shurachi had left without weapons. He'd decorated it with bright ribbon to attract her attention if she went for his hair. They would be boarding the Hogwarts Express tomorrow to return to the school and he didn't want his impromptu son to fail the first assignments of the year.

Several minutes later, Jonathan finished off his report with a flourish of his quill. Shurachi smoothed the hair on his head. "Alright. It's time for bed now that you're done. We have to get up early so we can eat and make it to the station."

Jonathan didn't protest, though his smile did morph into a pout. Akina burbled, but she was already asleep and simply making noises in her dreams. The baby was laid down in the shoddy cradle Remus had managed to get them.

Tugging on one of Shurachi's more whole shirts, Jonathan climbed into the bed and settled on the right side. He watched his teacher moved around the room from the safety of the covers and clenched his eyes tight before the last candle went out.

He left them closed until the bed dipped and strong arms wound around his body. The little boy was pulled into Shurachi sturdy chest. He settled there with a little contented sigh, the feeling of dread he'd come to expect when the lights went out melting away under the assurance of safety.

In the morning, when he was strapped tightly to Shurachi's back while Akina was bundled and tied to his chest, it was only that assurance of safety that kept him from passing out in fear. The speed and height at which the shinobi was moving left him almost wishing he would black out.

Shurachi chuckled quietly to himself as he held Akina with one arm for extra stabilization. He could feel how much Jonathan disliked the way they were getting to the station, but he had little alternative. Sabishíi was running ahead of them to lead the way.

The canine barely paused to find scent. If he didn't know better Shurachi would almost say he was simply pausing to remember the way to a place he'd been many times before.

Their arrival produced a little upset, but Shurachi ignored it in favor of walking swiftly onto the train. He dropped Jonathan off in a compartment. "Here, you'll need these when the train arrives at Hogsmead." A shrunken trunk was produced, along with the small cradle. "Watch Akina for me. She'll need her big brother to look out for her while I'm gone."

Jonathan grinned toothily and accepted sniffling bundle. He rocked her a little while Shurachi dug around in his weapons pouch. "Here is her bottle, you remember how to feed her? Good. A nipple for her to suck on if she gets fussy. Lupin-san said that the diaper will take care of itself, so don't worry about that."

Green eyes peered out of wire rimmed glasses to make sure nothing was forgotten. "Sabishíi, stay." The canine huffed. As if it would have been anywhere else when Shurachi couldn't watch out for the kids. "I'll be patrolling the train to make sure nothing happens. If you need me, I want you to kick this."

He quickly made some seals, producing a shadow clone of himself, then formed several more to turn it into a cushion; Jonathan nodded. Shurachi spared him a brief smile. "I left money in the side pocket of your backpack. Remus said a lady came around with snacks."

Then he was gone, slipping onto the platform to station himself in a spot that could see the entire place. Shurachi spent a good deal of the ride using chakra and a wind cutting jutsu to keep an eye outside the train. When it got to dark for his eyes to be much help he slipped back inside and checked on his newest children.

Jonathan was fast asleep and Sabishíi was using his wagging tail to make Akina's cradle rock gently. She peered out at him, but was content to suck on her bottle nipple.

The train rolled into the station around nine. Remus was there, waiting to pick up Akina and bring her to the little house he'd rented with Shurachi's money in Hogsmead. He had thought about protesting, had even opened his mouth to do so, but the shinobi had given him a cold glare that shut him up quick.

Shurachi followed the first years, trusting the strange horses to get the kids to the castle safe. They looked rather fierce after all. Chakra channeled into his feet allowed the Inuzuka to water walk, impressing the students and shocking Hagrid. Shurachi didn't let that distract him, though he did get some amusement out of playing a bit of chase with the squid when it bumped his feet with a tentacle.

The feast went as usual and Shurachi waited until the castle had gone to sleep to make his way to the Headmaster's office. He disliked being there, as it smelled of dusty sugar terribly. Standing in the cheerful room, he grimaced behind his mask. Sitting at his side, Sabishíi laid his ears flat in agreement. Neither one wanted to be there.

"Ah, Harry my boy! It's good to see you made it back! I take it this is your new dog?" Dumbledore said, twinkling merrily at him from behind his desk.

Shurachi twitched a little. "Hai, this is my new partner. I have come to let you know that village has seen fit to only send me back as this has been downgraded to only a B ranked mission. Your fee has been adjusted accordingly."

Blue eyes sharpened slightly, hidden by the twinkle. "I heard rumors that you were on the train! When did you get back and why didn't you let myself, or one of the other professors, know? We would have been happy to have sent you transport back to the school and a place to stay for the summer!"

A small growl was suppressed. "The contract states that I am to protect the children during the school year. It was not the school year, so my mission was on hold until the welcome feast. I thought to use the time to get a better idea of the world my enemies come from."

Dumbledore caught the slight slur, but ignored it. "Again, I would have been happy to provide you with any information you required."

This time the growl seeped out slightly in his voice. "I will keep that in mind."

A beaming smile was his answer. "Splendid my boy! Well, I won't keep you for to long. I just need to know if you plan to continue with your classes? Several students wrote to ask about it over the summer. They said they'd enjoyed it very much."

Shurachi nodded stiffly. Just because he didn't like the man didn't mean he wouldn't teach the children how to protect themselves if they lost their wands.

"Good, good! I hope you don't mind using the same rooms as you had before. I wasn't expecting your party to decrease like it did!" Dumbledore smiled winningly, Shurachi merely turned and left.

He continued to leave until he was able to remove that portraits that had been returned to the walls of his rooms. He only settled, properly, when the three spying charms were also removed.

"I swear Sabishíi, if I have to be here another year then I will file my retirement. Dealing with that old bastard is going to give me terrible teeth." The dog huffed in amusement, eyeing him skeptically. "Good point. I'm not sure which I would want though. Tooth decay from all the sugar or a splitting headache from grinding my teeth to powder."

The dog barked, wagging it's tail. Shurachi's sour expression split into a large grin. "You'd abandon me to that place? Oh, so a baby is a better friend than me I take it?" Again the dog barked, this time covering his face with a paw. "Alright, I forgive you. I'll introduce you to your other partner and we'll have to set up a perimeter tomorrow. For now though, I have some clones wandering the place so we can rest for the night."

The pair moved into Shurachi's bedroom and settled together on the bed, Shurachi's chest nearly crushed under the weight of the huge dog. Tomorrow they'd have to do some hard work, but for now they could rest.

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I hope you liked it!! =D

Taku


	46. Chapter 46

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he IS a HE)

**Diclaimer:** So I crowned the witch, all I got was a stupid achievement and another denial of my petition to own the rights for these beautiful canon stories. Damn it. It's just dissapointing as when I went to graduation and only got a stupid piece of paper!

**Note:** I had a burst of inspiration and spewed out several chapters. Plus, I was excited about this one so I just had to post it early! GAH! You guys are gonna be all "WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?!?!" and I'm all "Kukukuku, it's all part of the master plan!"

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Shurachi laughed as he watched Kinobu and Sabishíi warily circle each other. He let his own form melt into the giant three headed dog that the other cerberus was more familiar with and trotted over. With his right snout he knocked Sabishíi to the ground. With his left, he bumped Kinobu's side.

The pair of canines stared up at him incredulously, then looked at each other. Something passed between them, a silent understanding, and they both lunged at the larger dog. Neither canine would worry about the other, not while a larger target was available.

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Hermione Granger prided herself on her knowledge. She also considered herself fairly patient when it came to waiting for that knowledge. So, when Remus didn't contact her after several days she took a deep breath and counted to ten.

Recently, she'd gotten herself a rather smart post owl. In doing so, she hoped to use it's intelligence to directly contact the person Remus seemed to want to keep hidden. Taking a quill and parchment, she penned a letter and sent it off.

_Dear Sir,_

_In the skirmish that took place at Diagon Alley recently, I noticed an associate of mine vanish. When he returned, you were with him and quickly turned the tide in our favor. Since my associate seems to have forgotten my request for an introduction, I will do so myself._

_I am Hermione Granger, a graduate of Hogwarts. I graduated top of my class in all but potions. I fancy myself a knowledgeable person, but I didn't recognize the spells the used against the Death Eaters. Would it be possible to meet, or correspond? I would be very much obliged._

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger_

000

_Granger-san,_

_No._

_Inuzuka Shurachi_

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_Dear Mr. Shurachi,_

_What do you mean "_no_"? That's hardly an answer at all! Is there nothing I could do to convince you to tell me about the spells? Or at least give me their names so I can research them myself?_

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger_

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_Dear Mr. Shurachi,_

_I sent a letter a few days ago. I'm not sure if it arrived as I haven't received a reply. I have become more curious about you since I sent it however. I went over your reply several times and realized I had no idea what language would put san at the end of my name. Would it be possible for you to tell me that as well?_

_Also, would your speaking another language mean you are new to English? I saw that your name is foreign also. If this is the case, I would be glad to help you with your pronunciation in exchange for the information I requested._

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger _

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_Dear Shurachi-san,_

_Did I use it right? I'm assuming it means some similar to Mister or Miss in my language. I did some research, but I couldn't find what language it was from. What I did find out was quite fascinating though! _

_I also did some research on the spells you used. I couldn't find any that matched the results you produced. Are they native to your country? Would it be very difficult for me to learn them?_

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger_

000

_Dear Shurachi-san,_

_I am really quite fed up with you not answering my letters. It very rude to ignore a persons correspondence. I know you've been getting them, as my owl hasn't returned with an unopened letter. _

_Hermione Granger_

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_Shurachi-san,_

_Now that was just rude of you! Sending my letters back unopened after I told you that was a sign of a recipient not receiving their mail! Reply to me or I will have to file a report with the Ministry about an unauthorized foreign wizard being in the country!_

_Hermione Granger_

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_Granger-san,_

_I want nothing from you. I have never met you before and your constant letters are insulting as well as unwelcome. Did you stop to think that your associate may have ignored your request for a reason? I have no business with you, especially since you got my name wrong. Inuzuka is my family name._

_Inuzuka Shurachi_

_P.S. I am authorized to be here. Dumbledore Albus hired me under a work visa._

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_Shura-chan!_

_It sucks that I couldn't go with you this time! The boys say "Hi", but I didn't want to risk sending more than this letter with the messenger. Would you mind giving her some water by the way? Hatake-san kindly let me borrow her for this purpose, so she'll poof out once she's rested up._

_Don't return to the village Shurachi. The council sent your kit out with one of the sannin to collect the next Hokage candidate, but until they get back and a Hokage is named the council has absolute power._

_They've labeled you a missing nin, S-class, with flee on site orders. If you come within the walls of Konoha we have strict instructions to kill you. Your clan has protested, but there isn't much they can do. The council has them under watch and that bastard Danzo has been sniffing around my own complex._

_Also, something happened to the little brat you were tutoring. I don't want to put it in a letter, so it will have to wait until we can see each other again. We'll do our best to get the new Hokage to rescind your listing. _

_Take care and all our love,_

_Haji-niisan_

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Ano, review onegai?!?! (RANDOM URGE TO TALK IN JAPANESE! FEAR IT! OHOHOHOHO!!)

Taku


	47. Chapter 47

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he IS a HE)

**Diclaimer:** I have regained my WoW account, but I still don't own shit. Feel sad for me.

**Note:** Originally this was one chapter, then I thought "They deserved a big chapter rather than two little ones" so there you have it. Also, I've had this one for a while, but I got sick not to long ago and ended up in hospital. Sorry it took so long to put up.

**Beta'd by the amazing Lemo. Love her.**

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Shurachi shook off the news of his banishment, though he did make sure that Remus knew to send his payments to a Gringotts account rather than the village from now on. He did his best not to think about what his pups must be going through. Did his best not to think about it at all really. He hadn't told Jonathan yet, not wanting to upset the boy. All he could seem to talk about was what he thought Konoha must be like.

Pushing a hand through his braids, and being careful to avoid the sharp bits of metal, Shurachi sent Sabishíi after Jonathan. The eleven year old was heading home for Christmas, or rather, heading to Shurachi's house in Hogsmead to spend the holiday with Akina and Remus.

Personally, he didn't understand the holiday or why it deserved time off from school. Still, he would, however, get his new children and Remus presents. It would be only proper as they'd all, except Akina, told him they were going to get him presents.

Turning away from the departing students, he entered the castle once more. His clones were keeping a personal eye on the remaining students since there were so few of them. There was to be one last, unofficial Hogsmead weekend right before the actual day. He would be going to visit his new house then as the clones were more than capable of informing him should they need him.

Shurachi stretched out his hand once he was by the Great Hall. To anyone passing, it would look like he was reaching for a blank spot on the wall. He pulled it closer to his face, however, when a kikai landed on it. The insects sent images of fire, of screaming men and women. Then it switched to a dark room with a red eyed man.

Finally, it showed him the picture of another kikai. This one wasn't his, and was obviously a little lost. He guessed from the image of a dim trail of light that his own kikai had left markers for the other follow.

The only person that could send a kikai to him was Hajime, so hopefully the little thing found the trail. He was antsy to hear about his pups in Konoha.

It was several days later, after his visit to the house in Hogsmead, when Shurachi got another kikai message. This one was frantic, chakra coming off of it in worrisome spurts. When he connected with it he realized why. There was an unknown, dangerous man near his pups. Remus couldn't handle him, had already fallen to the man.

Pushing out of the comfortable bed he'd been using, Shurachi only paused to slip on shoes before launching himself out of his window. He landed hard, with a grunt of pain, but carried on without a hitch. His family was in danger and he couldn't allow them to be hurt.

Bursting through the front door, Shurachi barked once, loudly. There was no answering scramble of claws on tile. He tried again; more silence. Growling low to himself at the thought of losing another partner to foreign men, Shurachi crept towards the scents of fear. They were so thick he couldn't distinguish one person from the other.

He arrived in the nursery, and found two men knocked out against one wall. They were still alive, but not a threat. What was a threat was the man facing his two pups. Remus was nowhere to be found.

"Sensei!"

The man whirled around, fingers curled as if they were claws. Then, strangely, when he caught sight of Shurachi he relaxed. "Master!" He chirped, and Shurachi twitched a little at the term of address. Only his dogs called him that, as they didn't really have a proper equivalent in their language. He wasn't their proper alpha, as they looked to the strongest canine for that, but he was their leader.

"Ah, sorry. I got used to saying that. I'm glad you came, Shurachi-sama. These Death Eaters-" here he spat the word, venom shooting from his eyes at the unconscious men, "-were attacking the pups. I had to knock Remus around to get him to send your bug for you."

Shurachi's eyes narrowed and he crept forward carefully. "Get away from my pups." He growled, spine curving in preparation for an attack.

Gray-blue eyes blinked at him in surprise, then clouded over with understanding. "Ah, right…I forgot you wouldn't know who I am in this form." He moved away from the children with his hands in front of himself. "Sorry. But, um, I couldn't deal with them as I was. They had some sort of spell over them that hindered dogs from reaching them. I think they meant it to keep Remus away."

A frown pulled Shurachi's eyebrows down, making his expression obvious through the mask. "Do? You are…" he tugged the mask down to sniff at the air. The putrid stench of fear, the acrid tang of pollution, and the musky scent of Sabishíi. There were no foreign scents save the two men at the wall.

"Sabishíi?" The man brightened and executed a little bow.

"I am Sabishíi! My human name is Sirius though. I was a friend of Remus' until I was blamed for your wizarding parents' murder. It wasn't me though, it was Pettigrew."

Shurachi felt little hands clutch at his pants and he took a little bit of attention from Sirius to check on Jonathan. The boy looked scared, but not terrified. He seemed to have confidence that Shurachi could take care of them. "Jonathan, I want you to take Akina and go into my room. Once you are there I want you to tap the blue paper on the door."

The little boys face set in determination and he hefted the baby in his arms to carry out his orders. Shurachi kept himself in between the man and the kids until they were gone. "If you really are Sabishíi, why didn't you answer my call?"

Sirius' face fell. "You said not to come when you call if the pups were still in danger. I wasn't sure if more Death Eaters would come so I stayed here instead."

Green eyes looked him over critically. "That is true. Lupin, is this man who he says he is?" Remus stepped into the doorway.

"Yes Inuzuka-san, he really is my old friend from school. I don't know how true what he says is though. He was convicted of betraying your parents and killing fourteen others. He should still be in Azkaban, they never announced his escape." The werewolf kept his wand pointed at Sirius while his other hand was holding the forming lump on his head.

"I didn't do it though Moony. Wormtail, we switched with him and when I chased him down he blew up the street, cut off his own finger, and slipped into the sewers." He pleaded, taking a step forward. Both canine inclined men sniffed the air, testing for the scent of lies, and relaxed marginally when they found none.

"If that's true, why didn't you ever say anything at your trial Padfoot?" Remus asked, a slightly desperate edge to his voice.

The shaggy black head shook. "I didn't get a trial Moony. They just said the evidence was all they needed and locked me away. I offered to go under veritaserum, they wouldn't let me!"

Shurachi growled to gain the pair attention. "Lupin, sort this out. I want the truth of what happened here. I'm going to make sure my pups weren't harmed in your care." He shot a poisonous look to both men, then backed out of the room and hurried to his own.

The chakra lock recognized him and let him through when he sent a small burst of chakra into it. Jonathan was sitting on the bed, Akina cuddled to his chest.

"Sensei, are you okay? Is everything okay now?" Jonathan asked, leaning forward a little. He looked pale and sick, obviously stressed from the attack.

Shurachi sat down on the bed, waiting as Jonathan moved to cuddle against him. Then he began to stroke the boy's hair. "It's fine now. The men who were attacking won't be getting up any time soon and Lupin is taking care of that other man."

There was silence as the two stressed children took strength from Shurachi. Then, timidly, Jonathan spoke up. "Who is he? He was Sabishíi, then he wasn't anymore."

The shinobi remained silent, simply petting the soft brown hair. He couldn't answer that question yet. They would just have to wait for Remus to finish. Shurachi wasn't sure he would have been able to deal with questioning his former, current…well, he couldn't deal with it. Not right now.

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The feeling in the room was beyond awkward. It was so far past uncomfortable that he was seriously considering suicide as a viable option. Sirius Black, his once canine partner, was sitting on a short couch with Remus next to him.

They weren't touching, nothing would really give them away about their manner, but his nose could smell their sex through its cover. Jonathan sat on the floor, blissfully unaware of the discomfort the adults around him were experiencing.

Akina didn't care. She was asleep upstairs.

"So you're not merely taking the side of, ah, your _feelings_?" Shurachi asked, trying to be discreet and still reprimand them.

Remus paled and Sirius pinked as they realized that their silencing charm hadn't been enough. "Despite my feelings, I know that the person he's accused of killing is alive. I would recognize his animagus form anywhere. I just didn't get a chance to see it when I was teaching at Hogwarts."

"A student had him as a pet rat. I saw a picture of him before I escaped Azkaban, but he got away before I could kill him. Then they realized I had escaped and sent hit wizards after me." Sirius elaborated.

Green eyes closed and glasses were pulled off to try and fend off a headache. "How, exactly, did you end up in Konoha then?" Those same eyes opened, bewildered but suspicious.

"That was a fluke. I was trying to apparate as a dog, but it didn't work properly and I found myself in some forest. I was so tired that I let the dog part of me take over and those kids caught me. Later, I realized you guys took good care of dogs and just went with the flow." He shrugged, his shoulder brushing against Remus.

Shurachi laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Yeah, a fluke. Okay. Jonathan, go to bed pup. It's late." The boy looked up from the conjured ANBU figurines he'd been playing with. He was ready to argue, hoping for more time, but he closed his mouth when he saw the strained expression on his teachers face.

"Good night, sensei." He leaned forward and hugged Shurachi's legs then scampered up the stairs.

The shinobi watched him go, a bemused look on his face, before turning on the suddenly concerned men. "I am no longer a shinobi of Konoha. The mission I was hired for no longer applies to me." He chuckled a little hopelessly, leaning back into his seat. "You may tell your Headmaster that all requests for a continuation of the mission are denied."

Alarm began to grow in their eyes as wind picked up in the room. "I won't leave, because I couldn't live with myself if I let Doku's killers live." He rolled his head, his eyes alarmingly blank. "I'll kill those pieces of trash, then I'll go…somewhere."

He closed his eyes and Sirius made to move to him. Remus grabbed his arm and shook his head. Hana had told him about what had happened when Shurachi's first lover had died. She'd told him how the shinobi had reacted and how it had been better to let him be every now and then. He wasn't there then, but this didn't feel like the time to consol him.

Shurachi remained on the couch, letting his mind blank and rest. He didn't get his break for long though, as an exhausted kikai landed on his nose and began to suck chakra from him. He opened one green eye, watching it with little enthusiasm.

It gathered enough energy to send him a picture of all his pups grinning, or in Shino's case waving, at him. He got the feeling of love, of happiness, and he let a ghost of a smile flit over his face before plucking the insect off his nose and tucking it into a hole in his wrist.

He looked around the rather bare living room, taking in the few pictures of Akina, and more recently Jonathan. Pushing himself to his feet, Shurachi removed a picture of each child from its frame and left via an open window.

He slowly made his way back to Hogwarts, collected his things from his room, and returned to the house. It took little effort to break into the warded basement and remove the Death Eater prisoners. He then dragged them with him to the small cave he'd found in his initial sweeps of Hogsmead, what felt like years ago.

He tossed one against the wall and settled the other in the middle of the room. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his chakra and pushed it into his hand seals. The very nature of this jutsu required silent use and so he didn't speak, simply let the genjutsu encircle the Death Eater.

He moved behind the throne that was formed from the man's memory. Out of the way and out of view of the Death Eater. He used a bit of magic to wake him, and watched silently as the man looked around groggily, then fell at the feet of a man who had appeared as he woke.

"My Lord." The man pressed his nose to the ground. "It seems your suspicions of Lupin being stationed in the village as a warning system were correct. He is there to give warning, but he's also looking after some children. Apparently, the mercenary who denied you has left them in his care."

The red eyed man stroked his chin in a cliché way. "Yes, this is good information, but why are you returning to me alone? Were you so careless as to loose your partner?" There was a cruel glint in the man's eyes now. He lifted a black wand with spindly fingers. "You disappoint me. Crucio!"

The Death Eater fell completely to the floor, screaming and twitching. Shurachi watched with a frown. Nothing had been overtly done to the man, so why was he in pain? Had it been a spell? There hadn't been any light.

Tossing a sleeping gas capsule at the twitching Death Eater, Shurachi waited for him to pass out before removing the man from sight and repeating the process with the other man. The scenario was similar, though when the word crucio was said a red light flashed, confirming that it was a spell. One that caused terrible pain if the identical reaction was any indicator.

Sighing, he pulled out his little used wand and cast a sleeping charm on the pair. They wouldn't wake until he removed the magic. Their bodies would slow, so they could survive up to a month without food or water. If he didn't wake them by then, well, he wouldn't feel too bad about it.

Leaving the cave, he paused to cast a look at the darkened town of Hogsmead. He had picked a good protector for his pups, they would be safe. He could trust the message he'd sent with a bunshin to reach those who needed to know. Looking away, he continued on into the woods. He didn't have Doku, or Sabishíi, to help him find his way, but chakra markers worked just as well as his canine companions' noses. He would manage.

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To those of you who are like "What about Kinobu?!" Wait. He will be explained next chapter. Also, The Council that listed Shurachi as a missing nin wasn't the council of heads that he's on. It was the villages council of elders with Sarutobi's old teammates on it. Even then it wasn't so much the council as it was Danzo. You'll see mor eof Konoha in a few chapters to find out what other bull that old man pulled before Tsunade showed up.

Review please!

Taku


	48. Chapter 48

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** Still not mine

**Note:** Okay, this would have been up sooner, but for some reason my beta's not responding to emails. Also, there was another delay because I was seriously considering taking it down and not posting it up ever again. Why you ask? I got a very rude review that just made me so angry. It went something along the lines of "How long does it take to get a new computer?!" Well, when you're a poor college student who can barely afford tuition, let alone the books, it takes a long time to save up for a new computer! I still don't have one, so don't expect any chapter anytime soon. It doesn't help that I'm being fired so my boss' neice can have a job. Fucking nepotism, I hate this state!

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It had been nearly a year since Remus had last heard from Shurachi. Toys and little gifts would appear for the children from time to time, but there was never any sign of who'd left them. The first few times they'd checked them for traps, but after a small brown puppy had been dropped off they'd simply let the children have them.

Recently though, there'd been whispers of a masked man gathering people to him. Werewolf, vampire, even a few rumors said that demons were in his service. As long as you were strong, able to pass through an area laden with traps, or able to simply find your way there you were given sanctuary.

In return you were expected to protect that sanctuary with all you had.

It sounded a lot like a shinobi village to Remus, but he was leery of seeking this man out. He didn't want to leave the children to Sirius' tender care in order to possibly be disappointed. Or worse, killed. He could just imagine explaining that one to Shurachi when they met up in the after life.

"Yes, I left your children, the ones whose safety you charged me with, in the care of a man you hardly know. Why did I do this? Well, I was chasing what may or may not have been a rumor about your whereabouts. Yes, I knew you could protect yourself. Yes, I knew I would only be in your way. I simply couldn't be patient though!"

Yeah, that would go over well. Shurachi would probably find some way to send him to hell, if he wasn't already there for abandoning the kids.

And so what if he was a little bitter about being left in the dark with a baby and a school age boy? He had a right to be a little angry about it after dropping his life to find, then teach, then help Shurachi. Akina had started calling him daddy by accident, though she always corrected herself with "Unc'a Moony".

She'd seen a picture of her father, which she called mother strangely enough. Though Remus never corrected her when she did. Shurachi did look very feminine in the picture and it would serve him right to have all of his children call him mommy.

A hand landed on his shoulder and he tilted his head back to look up at his lover. Sirius gave him an understanding smile and pulled the shot glass out of his limp fingers. "Come on Moony. The kids won't like it if you wake up grumpy and sick. They'll think something's wrong."

Remus snorted darkly. "Something is wrong Padfoot. We're raising your godson's children, while he's Merlin knows where, doing Merlin knows what!"

Blue eyes softened and Sirius hoisted his lover up. Strong arms wrapped around Remus' waist and held the trembling man to him. "He's okay Remus. I trained beside him, fought beside him, and saw how strong he is. If anything were going to kill Shurachi, it doesn't live in our world. Only another, stronger shinobi could ever take down our alpha." He chuckled a little at the word, amused by the label both of their canine parts had given Shurachi.

"And besides, he has a cerberus with him. Kinobu won't let anything happen to him." Sirius had gone into the forest about a month after Shurachi had vanished to see how Kinobu had faired the winter. The hound was no where to be seen and after several weeks of searching he'd finally asked a centaur. The horse man had told him, with an air of disdain, that the massive dog had run off with an even larger one of it's kind.

Letting his partners words settle into him, Remus nodded and followed Sirius to bed. He couldn't really do anything about it at this point, so he would have to content himself with what he knew.

Unfortunately, contentment was far from his mind come morning. Screaming had woken him early, the scent of fire filling his nose. It wans't his home ablaze, but it was definitely to close for comfort. Hurriedly scrambling out of bed, he noted that Sirius was already gone, and ran to the kids room.

The pair were huddled in a corner, Jonathan doing his best to shield his sister with his body. A large man swathed in black was looming over them, his wand held menacingly. Remus didn't stop to check for anything else and launched a volley of spells at the man. He took him down, mostly because of the surprise, and then hurriedly cast a protection spell over Akina and Jonathan. Nothing, not even Remus, would be able to touch them. Be it spell, weapon, or hand. The only bad thing was that Remus could cast no other protection spells, as even a simple protego would dissolve the impenitrable barrier.

Three more Death Eaters rushed in, all shouting spells, and Remus did his best to defend with offensive spells. He got two down, but the last one hit him with a stunner and his world went black.

When he woke, it was to a silver lined cage. The kids were in another cage next to him and he could see several denizens of Hogsmead filled the various metal cells around them.

"I see you're up Wolf." The cruel voice snapped Remus' head around to focus on the sneering visage of a Death Eater. "My Lord has given me the task of extracting the mercenaries whereabouts from you." Yellowed teeth were revealed in a nastey grin.

Remus remained silent, golden eyes narrowed with hatred and a little fear. He remained silent, except for his pained cries, for nearly three hours while he was tortured with various spells and silver implements.

"Keep your tongue then Wolf, but don't get to attached to it." The Death Eater laughed at his own joke and left the cell. "I'll be seeing you again soon."

He did. For nearly a week the same Death Eater visited Remus' cage and questioned him about Shurachi. He used potions, spells, good old fashioned torture, and even attempted to blackmail Remus by threatening the children. The wolf remained silent.

Then, on his ninth day of captivity, something different happened. A large man came into his cage, wearing gloves and carefully not touching the silver with anything else. He dropped a platter of steaming mush on the ground and flashed a grin that may have been reassuring if it weren't so feral. "Eat up weakling, can't have you lagging behind. Alpha would have my head if you weren't brought back with the cubs."

Remus' head jerked up sharply, much the way it had when he'd first woken in the Merlin-forsaken place. "Fenrir Greyback!" He gasped, then moved to block the shivering children in the next cage from view.

Greyback laughed darkly and nudged the goop closer to Remus. "I'm hardly going to get through your spell. It's geared against dark creatures after all. Besides, Alpha would do worse than kill me if I harmed his cubs."

Frowning, Remus thought over the words."Alpha? But, aren't you the Alpha of your pack?"

The other werewolf grimaced. "I was. You never cared to learn pack etiquette, but when the Alpha is challenged and beaten, they have to step down and let the new wolf be Alpha. At least until they can challenge and win. I lost last full moon." He shrugged, then tossed a pair of gloves identical to his own at Remus.

"Be ready to go weakling, Alpha plans to retrieve you and his cubs soon." With that, Greyback left, laving Remus confused but hopeful. If someone else was leading the wolf packs, and was rescuing them, then it was highly likely to be Shurachi.

That night, a commotion woke him from his fitful sleep. "Put this on." A bundle of fabric hit him, but he quickly scrambled into it and tugged on his gloves. "Here." His wand was shoved into his hand by a werewolf he didn't recognize.

"Hurry!" They quickly freed the children, giving Jonathan his wand also, and the unknown werewolf led them up the stairs.

"Alpha, I got them!" The quiet call drew attention to a cloaked man who was resting his hand on the middle head of a half grown cerberus. The dog was likely as tall as the man standing, but it was laying on the floor right then.

"Good job Richard. Come, we must go before they realize what's happened to their guards." Remus shivered at the voice he hadn't heard in so very long.

Traveling through the corridors in silence proved surprisingly easy, considering they were taking young children with them. Akina didn't make a sound and Jonathan was very careful to step lightly. The exit was in sight when a dark mass blocked it.

"So, not only do you dare to deny me, you also try to take my playthings?" The words were hissed, and the sound terrified Remus.

Shurachi scoffed and Kinobu chuffed in amusement. "You hardly rate my irritation Riddle-san, let alone my attention."

There was an enraged hiss that tapered into a shriek. "Get him, kill them!"

"I don't have time for this." Shurachi murmured, then steadied his stance and took a deep breath. "Shokubutsu: Shi Ha Chidarake no Jutsu!" (Plant Style: Bloody Death Leaf) As it had the first time he'd used it, plant life began to detach from their moorings and advance on the group.

This time, however, instead of the broad leaves of Konoha, moss and fungus formed a thin coating that dug its roots into the skin of the Death Eaters within reach and began to pull the very life blood from them. Some Death Eaters realized what was happening, and cast plant killing charms on themselves.

Shurachi merely held out a hand and let a whirlwind of kikai swirl around them, pulling chakra directly from their cores. He didn't blink as the men ran about, screaming and clawing at the holes the kikai were making to get closer to their chakra source.

"Come." He said emotionlessly, herding the wide eyed Jonathan through the door they were blocking. "Don't watch pup." Shurachi murmured when he noticed that Jonathan couldn't tear his eyes away from the writhing forms. Voldemort, shocked at the blatant disregard of his existence, didn't even think to stop them.

It took a few more Death Eaters being taken down before they made it passed the wards on the building. When they did, however, Shurachi immediately took Jonathan in his arms, and vanished. Remus was only a little unsettled about being hugged by a man he didn't know, but he was mostly worried about Akina being held by another huge man.

They appeared in a large room made of some kind of gray stone. It was smooth and polished, with various shades of gray making up a mosaic of animals. He saw a pair of cerberus, a pack of dogs, and even a werewolf running around the gray forest.

"Oi! Inuzuka-boss-man!" Remus' head jerked up at the familiar voices as a pair of red heads stuck their faces around a door. "You got another owl from Granger! She says that Percy has been kicking up a fuss again, so we'll have to pull the guys in the Daily Prophet." They said in unison.

The pair seemed to realize that other people were in the room and grinned widely at Remus. "Lupin! Good to see you old chap."

"You'll have to excuse us though."

"We're very busy with a new product you see."

"Ta!" They both waved and disappeared behind the door frame.

Remus blinked. "Shurachi…what?"

Green eyes, which had been cold and hard since the start, seemed to thaw entirely. "I'll explain later Lupin-san. Right now, I think you and Black-san should catch up." Shurachi vanished through the same door as the twins and one of the cloaked people, the one that had apparated him, stepped forward.

The material hiding his face was thrown off, revealing Remus' lover to him. "Hey Moony." There wasn't much talking after that, though Remus' vision did seem much more blurred than he was used to.

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Right now, I don't even care. If you review, please don't say anything rude or I might just cry. I don't mind constructive criticsim though. It wasn't beta'd, so let me know about mistakes.

Taku


	49. Chapter 49

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he IS a HE)

**Diclaimer:** No, no it isn't mine. In fact, its so not mine that I'm going to have to sue YOU in order to make myself feel better.

**Note:** Still not beta'd. I'm kinda worried. Don't worry, I'm not going t take it down. Yes, those were the Dursley's that the kids came from by the by. Thank you for appologizing. I'm sorry I jumped ot conslusions about your review's tone. Ummmm, I think I've covred it all. Some explanations in this capter, cuteness, things such as that.

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Shurachi smiled as Jonathan latched onto his middle and Akina held tight to his neck.

"Sensei, where did you go?" Jonathan asked, cuddling up to the shinobi when they sat on a threadbare couch. "You just left one day and Remus and Sirius couldn't find you."

The Inuzuka sighed, running his hand soothingly through Jonathan's hair. Akina was content to suck on the chunk of black fabric she'd managed to bunch up on Shurachi's shoulder. "I took Kinobu deeper into the forest so we could practice together. We needed to learn to work together as a human and a cerberus. Usually we're both dogs when I'm around him."

Jonathan nodded to show that he understood. "Why didn't you come back when you were done?"

There was silence as Shurachi thought about his answer. "Well, by the time I was satisfied with Kinobu's abilities, I had had some…altercations with a local werewolf pack. Their alpha challenged me and I accepted as the final test. Once I'd won however, I found out that we'd been battling for the alpha position. His pack followed me around until I finally set this place up for them."

He paused to rescue his shirt from Akina's grip, then continued. "I'd also managed to run into a pair of twins in the forest and befriend them." He pulled Jonathan further into side. "Little by little, I started making allies here and once I realized that it would be dangerous for me to leave you without a guard of some kind, you'd already been captured."

The boy shivered violently and Shurachi kissed the top of his head. Remus had done a good job protecting them, but he hadn't been able to protect them entirely. There would still be some scars from the Death Eater captivity.

"Sirius found me when I came to retrieve you and explained what had happened. I'm sorry it took me so long to rescue you pup."

Jonathan shook his head and sniffled a little. "You came, that's all that matters." He lifted his head, big brown eyes locking with tired green. "What happened to you r village? Are you able to go back yet?" The wizarding child was a little apprehensive, afraid that Shurachi might not want to bring him along once he could return to his own village.

His fears were foolish however, as Shurachi shook his head. "I'm afraid not, pup. They have a new Hokage, but she doesn't have enough power to simply overrule the council without any proof. My enemies are good, and have planted all the evidence against me. It will be a while before I can return."

"I love you…Papa."

Shurachi smiled at the quiet words. "I love you too pup, try to rest." He settled a sleepy Jonathan on a large bed, Akina squirming until Shurachi let her cuddle up to her brother. He stayed to watch the pair fall asleep, then moved into the room beside theirs.

Haku looked up from the shirt he'd been mending to smile at his lover as Shurachi entered the room. About six months into Shurachi's exile, Haku had been framed and kicked out. He'd met up with Zabuza and followed the man around for a while until he'd agreed to go with Haku to find Shurachi. They'd managed it nearly a month ago and the Demon of the Mist had been enjoying slaughtering Death Eaters ever since.

"How are your pups Shura?" He asked, setting the shirt aside and wrapping his arms around Shurachi.

The Inuzuka smiled and nipped lightly at Haku's neck. "They're both sleeping in the other room. Jonathan sprawls just like Kiba used to." He chuckled quietly and walked Haku backward to the bed they'd shared for the past month.

Deliberately not thinking about Kiba, Shino, Naruto, or Hajime, Shurachi tugged playfully on the ties of Haku's yukata. "And since they're sleeping and everyone has been told not to disturb me tonight…" He trailed off and finally let his fingers untie the fabric.

Haku blushed, but kept his eyes pinned to Shurachi's as the clothing fell away to reveal his bare skin. He'd been prepared for sleeping, which he preferred to do with only minimal layers. To much clothing left him feeling smothered and he'd have dreams of suffocating in the night.

The small pair of underwear he'd had on was slid off and a calloused hand slid over his soft flesh, raising goose bumps. It skimmed over his sensitive nipples, tripped over his collar bone, then tickled under his ear. A warm mouth soothed the tickling sensation away and Haku let out a shaky breath.

"Shurachi…"

"Mmmm." The Inuzuka replied, his tongue trailing the salty flesh, moving down the graceful curve of Haku's neck. "I missed you, love." He murmured breathily in Haku's ear, before nibbling on the lobe.

Haku sighed his agreement and arched into the hand gently rubbing him to life. In the morning they'd deal with all the little things running a faction in wartime entailed. Until then though, he would enjoy the benefits of his lovers relief at the pups safe return.

Shurachi slipped out of the bed, and his lovers arms, as stealthily as he could. Kissing Haku's forehead, he padded silently into the rather large walk in closet he'd converted into a shrine. A picture of his mother was surrounded by burned incense, and a picture of Koishi had a single kunai stabbed into the wood in front of it.

"Hello love. It's been a little while since I've talked with you hasn't it? So much is going on right now though, I'm not sure I can continue on the way I have." Shurachi paused, listening for the noises of others waking for a while.

"I'm in charge of an entire side in a war that I was hired into. Well, if you listen to that meddling old man then I was born into it. Born to end it."

"Sirius, he was my new partner after Doku died, turned out to be a man disguised as a dog, told me about some prophecy or other that says I'm the only one who can kill this Voldemort trash. I don't know if I believe it, but it was his orders that killed my Doku."

He flicked some hair out of his face and smiled sadly at the picture of his old lover. "I think you would have liked it here. There are so many odd people and new things. You're taking care of my pups back home right? I don't know when I'll be able to see them again, so you better keep them safe. I'll have to kick your butt once I die if anything happens to them."

He stood when the distinct sounds of his lover waking in their room reached him. "Happy Birthday love." And left the closet, embracing Haku with a quiet sigh of contentment.

"PAPA!" Shurachi's head shot up from it's place resting atop Haku's. "PAAAAAPAAAAA!"

He moved away from his lover and took two steps toward the door. He needn't have bothered, as it flung itself open and a blur smacked right into him. "Papa, I woke up and you were gone and I was so scared that those men had us still."

Shurachi carefully pushed the child back enough to get a look at his face, but not enough to detach him from the Inuzuka's waist. Wiping the tears away, he crouched so he could meet Jonathan's eyes easier. "Calm down pup. I'm right here, those men can't hurt you now." He petted the unruly hair back and smiled. "I have someone I want you to meet."

Big brown eyes blinked at Shurachi as he stood, then moved to the man standing behind him. "Who're you?" The boy sniffled, frowning uncertainly at Haku.

"This is Haku. He's very important to me." Shurachi explained, watching as Haku bowed a little in greeting.

Jonathan bowed back clumsily, his hand clinging to Shurachi's sleeping yukata. "Hello."

The ice user smiled sweetly at the child. "Hello, you must be Shura-kun's new son."

A bright red blush spread over Jonathan's face, but he grinned shyly at being acknowledged as Shurachi's child. A nudge from Shurachi reminded Jonathan that he needed to introduce himself.

"I'm Jonathan, it's nice to meet you." He bowed a little more gracefully.

A baby's wail interrupted the following silence. Shurachi kissed Haku's cheek and rested his hand on Jonathan's head for a second before leaving the room to get Akina.

"Why are you important to Papa?" Jonathan asked curiously, then looked down when he realized how rude that sounded.

Haku crouched "It's because he loves me."

"Like he loves Akina and me? Are you my big brother?" Jonathan asked.

A thoughtful look on his face, Haku tried to come up with a way to explain what he was without confusing Jonathan more. "It's more like I'm his…wife. Shurachi is my lover."

Understanding lit Jonathan's eyes and he reached out to tug on Haku's yukata sleeve. "So, you're like my mother?"

"Yes, if you'd like me to be."

The boy smiled and nodded once, then hesitantly stepped forward. Haku opened his arms and hugged the child. "Momma." Jonathan murmured, sighing happily.

In the doorway, Shurachi backed up out of sight. A smile was stretched over his lips. "It looks like I can't be mommy Akina, sorry. You'll have to call Haku mommy from now on."

The baby frowned, her face crinkling in concentration. "Mommy?"

Shurachi chuckled. "Papa, I'm Papa."

Akina nodded determinedly, then snuggled against Shurachi with a yawn. She didn't care what she was supposed to call him. So long as he continued to be soft and warm she'd call him anything he wanted.

"Shura-kun? What are you doing out here? Come get dressed, I'll take care of the kids. We need to get to breakfast." Green eyes met first one pair, then another of brown.

"Right, let me just get ready then." He passed Akina to Haku, his smile widening to a grin when the baby squealed happily and fisted Haku's hair.

"Hurry Papa, I'm starving!"

The Inuzuka laughed, letting himself be pushed into his room by Jonathan. When the door closed with a quiet snap, he began to get dressed. There was a war going on, but he was sure they would survive it. If only because he wanted to give his pups a proper family.

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Please review and let me know what you think! It was really hard to end this chapter, as it wanted to keep going but_ I_ didn't want it too.

Taku


	50. Chapter 50

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** No, it's not mine. I promise.

**Note:** So, I still don't have a new computer. I almost did, but it ended up being a broken one that was stuck in a start up loop. It's no worth it to get it fixed, so I'm still waiting. I know this one is short, but it's a transitional chapter. We head back into shinobi land next chapter. Because I had a burst of inspiration, we may have several more chapter than I planned. See bottom note for details.

* * *

Haku panted as he used the last of his metal senbon. He'd have to start making some out of ice, but he was hesitant to reveal that particular ability. The enemy hadn't managed to contract anything more than chûnin level shinobi, none of which had a bloodline ability.

Spinning to avoid a sickly orange light, Haku used the perspiration on his body to form a single senbon. It flew from his fingers, lodging into the middle of the mans forehead with a force that one would not expect from such a small man.

He'd lost track of Shurachi nearly ten minutes ago, but his lovers chakra was flaring regularly, so he didn't worry.

"Haku!" The cloth covered face turned to look at an equally covered redhead. It was one of the twins and he was definitely in trouble. There were three masked men ganging up on him, shooting spells faster than he could counter. Already, one of the red head's arms was dangling uselessly at his side.

Glancing back at the twitching body of his opponent, Haku pushed chakra into his legs and jumped behind one of the men. The Death Eater's throat was neatly slit before he even had a chance to realize Haku was there.

The other two turned their attention from the Weasley to Haku, which gave the red head enough time to send an electricity curse into them. Their hearts stopped beating and they dropped to the ground.

"Are you alright Weasley-san?" Haku asked, his voice a little breathless. They been fighting for the past three hours, protecting the people of Hogsmead along side Dumbledore's teachers and Order. The Aurors were suspiciously absent.

"I think I might need to sit the rest of this one out. Have you seen George?" So it was Fred he'd saved.

Haku shook his head "I haven't. There was one of your swamps released by the medical wards though, he could be over there."

Fred smiled a little wanly, the pain obviously getting to him. "Alright, I'll get myself looked at while I'm over there. You should stop by to, your side isn't looking to good."

The ice user glanced down at the gash in his side, a feeling of surprise and anxiety worming its way into his mind. A shinobi that didn't realize he was injured was a shinobi that would die quickly.

Both men helped each other to the warded area that was being used by both sides for medical. Or at least the shinobi portions of the sides. The Death Eaters weren't bothering with healing and the people from Dumbledore's faction simply vanished once they were to injured to fight; almost like shadow clones.

Haku's head jerked up at the sound of a canine scream, but he didn't move away from the bushy haired woman murmuring words over his wound. It was closing slowly, obviously hindered by dark magic. At least, that's what she'd said.

Haku barely managed to stay still as the whisper began to spread through the field of battle. "He's dead." Was whispered hesitantly, but considering there were three different he's that could be used in that way, Haku wasn't panicking. Shurachi was the best equipped of the three to survive after all.

Pulling on his bloody shirt, the ice user slipped out of the warded area and used his mirrors to move across the field. When he passed an enemy he'd deal as much damage as he could, but his goal was not to weaken their forces. It was to find his lover.

Finally, in a bloody corner of the town, he found his love laying on the ground. Shurachi's breathing was shallow, he had some sort of curse melting the flesh from his left hip, but he was alive. Relief washed through Haku as he scanned the area and found the bodies of both Dumbledore and Voldemort. An equally dead snake was curled around the headmasters extended wand arm, fangs still caught in his bicep.

Scooping Shurachi into his arms, careful of the damaged hip, Haku slid into his mirror again and came out on the edge of the medical wards. He'd learned, the hard way, that his mirrors couldn't take him through them. He'd nearly bled to death before they'd gotten his leg out of the other mirror.

As soon as he sat his lover down on a clean pallet, three different healers descended on him. Two were magic healers, but the third was a medic from the other side. Haku was tempted to stop that one, but one look at the woman's determined face had him backing off.

Their employer was dead, so there was no reason for the other shinobi to attack them now.

Later, after the skin on Shurachi's hip had begun to regrow, the shinobi from both sides congregated in a hastily erected tent. The wizards had mostly left, save the ones who needed to stay and see to the injured.

"Why did you call us here?" one man asked, a slashed wave hitai-ate on his forehead. Haku beat back the nostalgia seeing that symbol brought and let Zabuza step forward.

"Your employer is dead. Do you know how to get back to your…village?" Zabuza's distaste for the caves that the missing nin had been living in was obvious. Several people bristled angrily, but they didn't speak up. The snake man had sent them something called a portkey and they'd come there via that. None of them had thought to find out how to get home without one.

"I thought so. These people will only have you killed for being dangerous if you stay here. However, if you join me in taking down the mizukage, I can show you the way home." Haku smiled behind the strip of cloth that covered his lower face.

Wearing an oinin mask when the enemy was also wearing similar masks had been a bad idea, not to mention the many missing nin that would have taken potshots at him. So everyone under Shurachi had adopted the black cloth he used to cover his lower face as a way of telling each other apart.

The few wizards who had been working for him had also begun to wear the masks. Though it was originally a joke on twins part, it had stuck.

Finally, after much muttering amongst themselves, the missing nin voiced agreement. Zabuza turned to look at Haku, a question in his eyes. The ice user looked away and shook his head. His place was with Shurachi now, no matter where it had been before.

The missing nin left that night for the portal in the Forbidden Forest.

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Do you guys want Shurachi to go back to Konoha? Your answer will decide if the extra chapters are added. I'm not going to tell you which one will extend the story though. Review and let me know what you think!

Taku


	51. Chapter 51

**Rating: **M (to be safe)

**Warnings:** Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don't get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)

**Diclaimer:** I haven't owned it for the last 50 chapters, what makes you think thats changed?

**Note:** Wow. Last chapter guys. I thought I would get a little more out of it, but I didn't. Thaks for sticking with me so long, it was one hell of a ride.

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Shurachi smiled at the wizards who'd fought on his side. They were all gathered around the portal in the Forbidden Forest, there to see him off. Haku lightly touched his arm, drawing his attention to the children who were peering tiredly up at him. It was very early in the morning, so he'd probably end up carrying Jonathan once they went through.

"Thank you for fighting with me. I was honored by your confidence in my ideas." He bowed a little and turned away from them. Remus and Sirius both smiled at him, holding their own packs. They'd decided to come back with him as they didn't really have anything keeping them in the wizarding world.

"See ya Boss-man!"

"Don't forget-"

"-to write us sometime!"

They didn't hear anymore of what the wizards had to say as they'd already stepped through the portal. The damp air of Waterfall Country swirled around them, creating an early morning chill that had little Akina burrowing against Haku.

"It'll take about a day to get to Konoha from here." Shurachi said, recognizing the unique feel of the lands chakra.

Haku bundled Akina tighter in her blankets. "Is it really safe to go back there? You were declared a missing nin."

Shurachi smiled gently at him. "It's okay Haku. Konoha's laws haven't changed since I left. They are required to let me in and speak with the Hokage. Getting out if I'm not reinstated as a shinobi of Konoha however…" He trailed off and swung Jonathan onto his back.

The boy squealed, but held on tightly. He was so much more innocent than Shurachi's other pups had been at his age. They'd been preparing to go on missions, to kill their fellow shinobi. He hoped Jonathan continued to be a civilian, happy and innocent of shinobi life.

They took off, Sirius changing back into dog form and Remus pulling a broom out of his pack. Kinobu barked on occasion, happy to be back in a place he recognized. Jonathan was happy for the ride, as he was sure he'd never have managed to keep up like the others were doing. Akina slept through most of it.

It took a little less than the day Shurachi predicted for them to reach Konoha. The chûnin on guard at the gates were reluctant, but they didn't have the authority to break the laws unpunished. Not to mention the higher security they'd been under since the Uchiha's reluctant return.

Shurachi made the others stay outside the gates as he entered the village. Inuzuka clan members were glad to see him, barking greetings and sending their dogs off to let the others know. The few Aburame members he encountered were also glad to see him. None of them made actual contact with him though, as it was forbidden until he'd seen the Hokage.

"Godaime-sama." Shurachi bowed to the woman sitting behind the paper covered desk. She looked up from the sake she'd been drinking to frown at him.

"So you're the exiled Inuzuka? You don't look like a criminal to me." She scoffed, throwing back the little bowl of sake. "At any rate, you wouldn't have come here if you didn't have proof of your innocence. So lets see it."

Shurachi quirked a small smile, amusement over her abrupt manner lightening his mind. He pulled his mission orders out of his pack and handed the scroll over. She opened it, after checking it briefly for traps, and looked it over.

"This seems real enough, and I've had enough character witness' for you come talk to me that I might have to abandon the village if I refuse you." She continued to stare at it, a scowl on her face. "Of course that old bastard Danzou signed it himself, even though he's the one who marked you a missing nin. Che."

"Whatever, you're officially cleared. The paperwork just needs to be signed, I had it ready at Naruto's insistence for when you returned." Tsunade rummaged around the papers on her desk until a thin folder was found. She opened it to the first page and scribbled something, then handed it to him for his signature.

"Thank you Hokage-sama." Shurachi bowed again, gathered his copy of the paperwork, and left. No one tried to detain him, though there were a couple chûnin that looked like they were going to rush off and report to someone the minute they got the chance.

"Mikaro, I want you to let Haku know it's safe to come in. Jiruo, find Kunimitsu and meet me at my house. I want to know what went on while I was gone." The pair of Shinobi that had shadowed him since his entrance into the village bowed briefly and vanished to do as he said. He made his way to the gate to meet the members of his pack that had been with him in the wizarding world.

He didn't even make it all the way there before a body was slamming into his. The scent was familiar, so he didn't attack it. However, when a second, then third body piled on he wished he'd thought to escape their hold at least.

"Kaasan! You're back!" Kiba cried, his arms squeezing tightly. Akamaru jumped around them, barking excitedly.

"It's good to have you back Shura-obasan." Shino murmured, watching the pile of people a little ways away. He didn't want to get accidentally injured after all.

"Shurachi-san, I missed you!" Naruto mumbled, his face squished in Shurachi's shoulder. The green eyes softened and a small smile took over his face.

He didn't get a chance to answer though, as Hajime decided to express his feelings as well. Unfortunately, it was in a loud voice, right next to Shurachi's ear. It probably didn't help that he was the heaviest of the bodies that had tackled him. So, the Inuzuka shoved him off and whacked him over the head.

"Honestly, you're a grown man Hajime-nii! Act your age, and in front of your own son to," he scolded! Hajime grumbled, but he was smiling.

"Shurachi, love, maybe you shouldn't attack the Aburame clan head? Especially after you've just been reinstated as a Konoha shinobi?" Haku tried to reason. Shurachi just huffed.

"Okaasan, who's this?" All attention fell to Kiba, who was point at the children hiding behind Haku's legs. Shurachi smiled, climbing to his feet in order to stand behind the children and move them out into the open.

"These are you're younger siblings Kiba-pup. Dursley Jonathan and Akina." Jonathan turned to hide his face in Shurachi's stomach. He may be thirteen now, but he hardly felt bigger than nine.

Kiba frowned deeply at the pair, making Jonathan even more uneasy. "Ano, Okaasan? If they're my younger siblings…shouldn't their last name be Inuzuka?"

The Inuzuka clan head blinked, looked down at the children hiding in his stomach and knees, and smiled widely. "You're absolutely right Kiba. I'll have to get that taken care of when I register them."

"Shurachi…" silence fell over the boisterous group as the new voice joined them. Guarded green eyes fell on the former clan head.

"Tousama…" Shurachi muttered back, carefully edging Jonathan and Akina behind him.

Momosuke smiled sadly, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I deserve that huh? I just came by to tell you that I'm retiring now that you're back. I'll probably settle in one of the smaller villages outside Konoha." He lifted his bag, which was larger than the usual long term mission bag. "You don't have to worry about me anymore."

A frown pulled at Shurahci's lips. "Tousama, you don't have to leave. You're still my Otousama."

The older man shook his head "I can't stay here Shurachi, you take good care of the clan okay? You were a better alpha than I ever could be without your mother."

"Otousama…" Shurachi murmured, turning his head away from the swirl of leaves that indicated Momosuke's departure.

With the excited air dimmed, they made their way to the Inuzuka compound. Shurachi would spend several hours catching up on clan news, village happenings, and looking over clan mission reports.

When he finally slipped into his futon, next to his beloved Haku, he couldn't help feeling relieved. He was home, all was well, and he could leave all that unpleasant information about his one time student for another day.

After all, it would take much more than Danzo's plots to keep him from his pack.

End

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Just so you guys know, you asked for it. If you hadn't wanted him to be in Konoha he would have gone on to create a minor hidden village in Forest Country and we would have gotten about five or six more chapters out of this story. XD I'm not very happy with this chapter, but I wanted to tie up as many loose ends as I could, and I hit a bit of a writers block with it. Lol.

Yes, Danzo is not resolved. Why? Because I didn't really want to get into him. There might be a sequel to this, at some point in time, but for now I'm letting it end here. Sasuke came back after Orochi-kun molested him. Sasuke doesn't like being molested.

Taku


	52. SEQUEL UP

The sequel is up! It's pretty obvious, called Once a Wizard, Always a Shinobi: Mori no Kuni. I hope you all like it! Also, did you know that on top of Anne Rice not letting us write fanfiction (I won't continue any of the Anne Rice one in Kings Loose Pages, it's why they're not on the poll) L.K. Hamilton says not to write fanfiction as well? Thats mean that people aren't supposed to write about Anita Blake! D8 I'm not listening to that one though, I will continue to support the posting of Anita Blake fanifiction. Mostly because a lot of it is awesome as hell. Maybe if Hamilton pulls a Rice and sues fans for writing fanfiction I will...

Taku


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